Tag: Chris Stephens

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-01-29.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how the replacement of the HM Revenue and Customs IT Aspire contract will be conducted; and whether it will be conducted in separate tranches.

Mr David Gauke

On 5 August 2015, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) announced the next step in its plans to transition from the Aspire contract. The Department is seeking to establish a truly world class IT operation that has the right mix of technology, processes and skills in a multi-sourced model to deliver its digital vision – and savings of up to 24 per cent on its £800m annual IT budget by 2020-21.

HMRC is making significant progress in preparing for the end of the Aspire IT contract in 2017. In December 2015, three services previously delivered by Capgemini were successfully brought under HMRC’s direct control.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he plans to Answer Question 26990, tabled on 11 February 2016 by the hon. Member for Glasgow South West.

Nick Boles

I apologise to the hon Member for the delay. I will reply as soon as possible.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-06-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral evidence given by Duncan McPhee to the Defence Committee on 7 June 2016, HC221, at Question 120, what discussions his Department has had with other public bodies on increasing the number of apprenticeships in the shipbuilding industry; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne

The number of apprenticeships in the shipbuilding industry is primarily a matter for the contractors concerned. However, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises the importance of apprenticeships in developing the essential skills needed by industry to deliver defence outputs. As one of the largest providers of apprenticeships in the UK, the MOD plays an important role in helping the Government meet its commitment to reaching three million apprenticeship starts in England by 2020. We also work closely with colleagues across Government and industry to ensure that necessary defence skills are maintained. For example, as part of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills ‘Trailblazer’ programme, the Royal Navy is working with industry partners to develop new world-class apprenticeship standards for engineers working on shipbuilding and maintenance.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what materials are available to his Department’s staff for the purposes of training on universal credit.

Damian Hinds

DWP staff have access to a comprehensive Universal Credit learning framework that is designed to build their core skills and knowledge to enable them to effectively undertake their role covering all national roll-out tranches of Universal Credit.

This includes:

• knowledge and skills modules ensuring each member of staff can support and coach individual customer’s needs, including those with complex circumstances / health and well being
• system practice that mirrors the full rollout of the Universal Credit system
• period of consolidation and on the job coaching to ensure the member of staff is fully competent

Each individual member of staff, dependant on their job role, individual experience and previous formal learning, will complete a Learning Needs Analysis that will determine the length of the Universal Credit learning, consolidation requirements and the learning they will undertake.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-01-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what impact assessment his Department has carried out on the effects of reductions in universal credit work allowance on workers under the age of 25.

Priti Patel

The impact of the work allowance change cannot be considered in isolation – it is part of a broader package of measures announced at the Summer Budget, such as the increase to the personal tax allowance and introduction of the national living wage, which strengthens incentives to find work and better paid jobs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-01-29.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when his Department’s discussions with Capgemini and Fujitsu began on the replacement of the HM Revenue and Customs IT Aspire contract.

Mr David Gauke

HM Revenue and Customs’ discussions with its IT partners have taken place on a regular basis since the Aspire contract began in 2004. The Department created the Aspire Replacement Programme in 2013 to manage discussions with its partners, following the Memorandum of Understanding in 2012 which led to the adaption of the Aspire contract.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his oral contribution of 21 March 2016, Official Report, column 1284, whether an impact assessment has been carried out on the effect of social security reform on employees in his Department.

Priti Patel

Ministers consider all of their statutory duties in considering new policies and impact assessments are published as is appropriate. A number of impact assessments have been published during the passage of the recent Welfare Reform Act. These use the whole population as a base but do not focus specifically on DWP employees.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-06-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral evidence given by Lord West of Spithead to the Defence Committee on 7 June 2016, HC 221, at Question 20, what current budget is allocated to procurement of and building Type 26 frigates; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne

For equipment procurement programmes the cost and schedule is set at the main investment decision, and the Type 26 Global Combat Ships programme has not yet reached that decision point. I am therefore withholding budgetary information regarding the procurement and building of the Type 26 frigates as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average length of time was for fee remission in employment tribunal claims between receipt of such claims and final processing in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proportion of fee remission applications were successful in that period.

Sir Oliver Heald

This information is available on gov.uk within the published Tribunals and Gender Recognition Statistics Quarterly.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-01-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what impact assessment his Department has carried out on the effects of reductions in the universal credit work allowance on (a) working families and (b) people’s ability to take on part-time work.

Priti Patel

The impact of the work allowance change cannot be considered in isolation – it is part of a broader package of measures announced at the Summer Budget, such as the increase to the personal tax allowance and introduction of the national living wage, which strengthens incentives to find work and better paid jobs.