Tag: Stephen Timms

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-01-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he plans to provide an answer to Question 18568, tabled by the hon. Member for East Ham on 2 December 2015.

Nick Boles

The Government has not made an estimate of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates for these age groups for each year until 2020.

The Government asks the Low Pay Commission to make NMW rate recommendations each year based on maximising the wages of the low paid without damaging employment opportunities. The Low Pay Commission will recommend the October 2016 NMW rates and indicative rates for 2017 by the end of February 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-01-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to ensure that applicants for universal credit are made aware of appropriate debt advice services; and if he will make a statement.

Priti Patel

At the initial meeting, Work Coaches will assess the claimant’s financial capabilities and determine if there is a need for Personal Budgeting Support. If there is, then the claimant can be referred to a range of services including the Money Advice Service. Any claimant identified as being vulnerable and needing an Alternative Payment Arrangement during the course of their claim will be referred for appropriate support.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of measures to stimulate demand for recycled material; and if she will make a statement.

Rory Stewart

Incentivising recycled content in new products has environmental benefits, and consumers generally have a positive image of products with recycled content.

Working through the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), we have developed and delivered a number of activities in support of both the use of recycled materials in new products, and on activities to stimulate its demand. Developing and securing sustainable end markets for recycled materials is key to ensuring the UK meets its statutory recycling targets and supports growth of the waste reprocessing sector. For example, recycled bottle plastic now has a number of end markets, including “back to bottles” and plastic packaging such as trays, as well as its more traditional end market of fibre.

We have significant ongoing work in the area, including the delivery of the Plastics Industry Recycling Action Plan. This includes projects on design for recyclability and development of suitable end markets for plastic recyclate; and the coordinated development and delivery of a Food Waste Recycling Action Plan by industry and Local Authorities to disseminate and promote current research and best practice to increase the supply and quality of household and commercial food waste to the food waste recycling industry.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-02-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people (a) under and (b) over 18 received support from child and adolescent mental health services in each of the last three years.

Alistair Burt

We do not hold this information centrally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many sanctions on jobseekers allowance were imposed in the most recent year for which data is available; and how many such sanctions were (a) under one month, (b) between one month and six months and (c) six months or more in duration.

Priti Patel

The information is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what financial savings she expects to result from the transfer of processing Bangladeshi visa applications to New Delhi.

James Brokenshire

Decision making on UK visa applications lodged in Bangladesh was transferred from Dhaka to New Delhi in September 2014. Logistical changes like this are made for operational reasons and to refine the longstanding hub and spoke structure of the visa network, where applications are decided at regional decision making centres. The hub and spoke structure increases resilience, improves security and enhances decision quality. The overall customer experience is unchanged as applications can be submitted at the same visa application centres and continue to be decided within the same global customer service standard. As result of this transfer of work we also estimate a saving of around £0.6m per year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to encourage more people to train as adults’ social workers.

Alistair Burt

The Chief Social Worker for Adults is actively working with the profession to create a highly skilled, flexible workforce which is able to contribute to improved outcomes for people in all settings.

She is developing a comprehensive framework for continuous professional development for adult social work, which will include development of specialisms in key areas of practice, such as dementia, end of life care and learning disabilities. This will provide a clear progression route for both newly qualified and experienced social workers to deepen their knowledge, skills and practice.

The Government has funded four teaching partnerships which build on and enhance the existing arrangements between Higher Education Institutions and employers. The key aims are to improve the quality of education received by social work students, mainly through a greater experience of quality statutory placements and employer involvement in the selection of students and provision of placements.

The Department has also developed Think Ahead, a new fast-track scheme for exceptional graduates and career-changers to become mental health social workers. The programme has been in development since 2014 and will take its first graduates in July 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-03-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2016 to Question 30367, at which schools in East London Jobcentre Plus plans to offer Support for Schools in the 2015-16 academic year.

Priti Patel

Jobcentre Plus Support will be demand led and focused on those schools in the most disadvantaged areas of East London. In conjunction with the Careers & Enterprise Company JCP are considering which schools will be offered support. Details will be announced in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the mortality rate for claimants of incapacity benefit and employment and support allowance aged between 40 and 50 was in (a) England and Wales, (b) Newcastle, (c) Sheffield and (d) Newham in each of the last five years.

Priti Patel

The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the additional cost to his Department in the last year of appeal hearings at the First Tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) which were adjourned because the Department of Work and Pensions did not send a representative in the last 12 months.

Mike Penning

The information requested is not held centrally.