From 21 July to 21 January, the Enquiry Line set up by the Pubs Code Adjudicator (PCA) to provide information about the Pubs Code has received 435 enquiries. 91% of the enquiries were from tied pub tenants or their representatives.

The top issues raised by callers were:

In the same period the PCA also received 121 referrals for arbitration, 42 more since November 21st. The top issues that have been referred are:

• whether a full response had been given by a pub-owning business to a request for an MRO Proposal
• duties of the pub-owning business in relation to Rent Assessment Proposals

Mr Newby said:

Calls are continuing to be received by the PCA at a high rate and referrals for arbitration are still rising. This is a very significant level of engagement from tied pub tenants.

I am receiving a great deal of information and I am building a good picture of what is happening in the industry and the issues to prioritise but to strengthen that picture more information is helpful.

If I am to take action on Code-related issues it needs to be evidence-based and I would encourage tenants to come forward with that evidence where they believe they have experienced inappropriate practices. I would urge them to contact the Enquiry Line confident that their identities will be protected.

He added:

The figures I have released today also demonstrate the scale of the task for the PCA. I am working with my team to deal efficiently and effectively with the referrals. In recent weeks I have increased my office resources to support this work and I expect some of the early cases to be completed shortly.

I am committed to resolving all arbitrations without undue delay. However, some are complex cases and as the legislation is new, many are the first of a kind.

They cannot be completed overnight and each party must be given an opportunity to make their case. Individual cases and the requirements of the parties will be different in each case. There can be no one size that fits all in terms of the length of time a case will take.

Mr Newby said he had also held a wide range of meetings with tenants, their representatives and stakeholder organisations:

A major part of my role is to raise awareness of the new rights and protections tied pub tenants have under the Pubs Code and to encourage compliance from the industry.

I have held a wide range of meetings to spread the message and the vast majority of responses I have received have been positive and encouraging. I am always willing to meet interested parties who wish to engage constructively and support the PCA’s mission to create a fair and lawful environment for tied pub tenants.

Notes to editors: The Pubs Code came into force on 21st July 2016. Its two key principles are that there should be fair and lawful dealing by pub-owning businesses in relation to their tied tenants and that tied tenants should be no worse off than if they were free of tie.

The Pubs Code Adjudicator is responsible for promoting and enforcing the Code. The PCA Enquiry Line is open Monday to Thursday, 9:30am to 5pm and Friday, 9:30am to 4pm on 0800 528 8080. Fact sheets explaining the Pubs Code are available on the PCA website

For further information contact Sheree Dodd office@pca.gsi.gov.uk

John Healey MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Housing,
commenting on the latest rough sleeping statistics released today, said:

“It is a national scandal that in England in the 21^st
century the number of people forced to sleep rough on our streets is spiralling
upwards – and this is only the tip of the iceberg.

“These figures are a terrible reminder of the consequences of
Conservative Ministers’ seven years of failure on housing.

“The number of people sleeping rough fell under Labour but has
more than doubled since 2010, and has risen every year under the
Conservatives. 

“This is a direct result of decisions made by Conservative
Ministers: a steep drop in investment for affordable homes, crude cuts to
housing benefit, reduced funding for homelessness services, and a refusal to
help private renters.

“Ministers’ long-promised housing white paper will fall at the
first hurdle if it does not set out how they will end the national shame of
rough sleeping, as Labour has committed to do.”

China’s population is expected to peak at about 1.45 billion around 2030, according to the national population development plan for 2016-2030 released by the State Council, China’s cabinet, Wednesday.

The country will enter a key transitional period between 2021 and 2030 in its population development as it will witness a decrease in the number of people of working age, more elderly people, still active population migration and diversified family patterns, according to the plan, which was signed and approved by Premier Li Keqiang.

“China’s basic national condition of a large population will not fundamentally change. The population pressure on economic and social development will not fundamentally change. The tensions between population and resources and environment will not fundamentally change,” the plan said.

The country will adhere to the family planning policy as a basic state policy, and fully implement the two-child policy to promote balanced population development, according to the plan.

The government will improve the policy adjustment mechanism for child birth, allocate public service resources rationally, improve development and support systems for families to achieve a suitable fertility rate, it said.

Efforts will also be made to improve the skill set of new workers, make full use of workers’ potentials, develop the human resources of the senior population, and make good use of international talent.

Measures will be taken to promote urbanization, improve policies on population movement, address the problem of an aging population, promote women’s development, and enhance protection of minors and the disabled.

As of 2015, China’s population was 1.375 billion.

China allowed all married couples to have two children in 2016. This follows an earlier easing of the policy in 2013 that allowed couples to have a second child if either parent was an only child.

The latest change ended the one-child policy that was implemented in the late 1970s to rein in the surging population.

China’s population is expected to peak at about 1.45 billion around 2030, according to the national population development plan for 2016-2030 released by the State Council, China’s cabinet, Wednesday.

The country will enter a key transitional period between 2021 and 2030 in its population development as it will witness a decrease in the number of people of working age, more elderly people, still active population migration and diversified family patterns, according to the plan, which was signed and approved by Premier Li Keqiang.

“China’s basic national condition of a large population will not fundamentally change. The population pressure on economic and social development will not fundamentally change. The tensions between population and resources and environment will not fundamentally change,” the plan said.

The country will adhere to the family planning policy as a basic state policy, and fully implement the two-child policy to promote balanced population development, according to the plan.

The government will improve the policy adjustment mechanism for child birth, allocate public service resources rationally, improve development and support systems for families to achieve a suitable fertility rate, it said.

Efforts will also be made to improve the skill set of new workers, make full use of workers’ potentials, develop the human resources of the senior population, and make good use of international talent.

Measures will be taken to promote urbanization, improve policies on population movement, address the problem of an aging population, promote women’s development, and enhance protection of minors and the disabled.

As of 2015, China’s population was 1.375 billion.

China allowed all married couples to have two children in 2016. This follows an earlier easing of the policy in 2013 that allowed couples to have a second child if either parent was an only child.

The latest change ended the one-child policy that was implemented in the late 1970s to rein in the surging population.

Keir
Starmer MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, commenting on
the Government’s announcement that they will publish a White Paper, said:

“This
is a significant and welcome U-turn from the Prime Minister.

“Labour
has repeatedly called for the Government to publish a plan for Brexit before
Article 50 is triggered and we made clear Labour would table amendments on this
to the Article 50 Bill.

“This
U-turn comes just 24 hours after David Davis seemed to rule out a White Paper,
and failed to answer repeated questions from MPs on all sides of the House.

“The
Prime Minister now needs to confirm that this White Paper will be published in
time to inform the Article 50 process, and that it will clear up the
inconsistencies, gaps and risks outlined in her speech.”