The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to answer Question 43738, tabled on 20 July 2016 by the right hon. Member for East Ham.
Edward Timpson
Parliamentary questions 43736, 43737, 43738 were answered on 01 November 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2015 to the hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey to Question 9852, by when his Department will be able to form a reliable estimate of the number of disability living allowance recipients who are Motability users who will not qualify for the enhanced rate of the personal independence payment mobility component.
Justin Tomlinson
We expect to be able to form a reliable estimate once a significant proportion of working-age Disability Living Allowance recipients have been reassessed for the Personal Independence Payment. Over 1.75 million claimants require reassessing; as of July 2015 circa 186,900 had been reassessed.
As referenced in our previous reply of 16 September 2015, DWP will continue to pay DLA for four weeks after the decision not to pay PIP enhanced mobility component is made. The Motability charity has confirmed that claimants can keep their car for up to three weeks after DLA payments end. This means that claimants will retain their car for up to nearly two months even though they are not entitled to PIP enhanced mobility component.
In addition, the Department has worked closely with Motability to ensure that those claimants who no longer meet the criteria for the Motability Scheme are supported through the transitional period. For most of these claimants who entered into their first lease agreement with Motability before January 2013, Motability will provide transitional support of £2,000. This will enable many claimants to continue to meet their mobility needs by purchasing a used car. For claimants who entered into their first lease agreement with the scheme after January 2013 and up to December 2013, Motability will supply transitional support of £1,000 to assist with mobility costs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Trussell Trust on the placement of Jobcentre Plus advisers in foodbanks.
Priti Patel
Jobcentre Plus Work Coaches already undertake outreach work every day in local communities. Work Coaches recently began offering back-to-back support in the Lalley Centre in Manchester. Early feedback has been positive. We will reflect on this, and consider if there is potential for expansion
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the reasons were for the recent changes in the proportion of resolvable Freedom of Information requests whose answers were fully withheld.
Justin Tomlinson
This Department considers and responds to each request for information under the Freedom of Information Act, on its own merits. I can confirm that there have not been any changes to Departmental Policy in doing so.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what procedure his Department has for responding to whistle-blowing reports from staff at Jobcentre Plus.
Justin Tomlinson
DWP operates the standard Civil Service whistleblowing policy, but the Department’s procedures go further by also enabling staff to raise concerns via a dedicated hotline operated by an Internal Investigations team.
DWP is committed to ensuring high standards of conduct in all that it does. For civil servants, these standards are reinforced by the Civil Service Code and the Department’s Standards of Behaviour.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2015 to Question 17301, what proportion of (a) males aged 16 to 24, (b) males aged 16 to 18, (c) males aged 19-20, (d) males aged 21-22, (e) males aged 23-24, (f) women aged 16 to 18, (g) women aged 19-20, (h) women aged 21-22 and (i) women aged 23 to 34 had been unemployed for more than 12 months on the latest date for which figures are available.
Mr Rob Wilson
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2015 to Question 18390, if she will include within the scope of character education referred to teaching on the dangers of problem gambling.
Edward Timpson
All young people need strong academic skills as well as a complementary set of character attributes to be successful in life. That is why we have invested £5 million in character and resilience and made it very clear that schools should teach personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE).
The non-statutory PSHE programme of study, published by the PSHE Association, includes teaching about all forms of gambling and its psychological and financial impact. The programme of study is available online at:
https://www.pshe-association.org.uk/
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2015 to Question 18747, if he will publish the eligibility criteria for advance universal credit payments.
Priti Patel
To be eligible for a Universal Credit (UC) Advance payment, the claimant has to have an underlying entitlement to UC, be in financial need, and be able to afford to repay the Advance. These criteria are contained within the Social Security (Payments on Account of Benefit) Regulations 2013.
If during the initial work search interview, a work coach identifies a claimant is in financial need, or cannot manage until they receive their first UC payment, they will advise them about advance payments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-01-07.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) jobs and (b) residents in full-time employment there were in the London Borough of Newham in each year from 2010 to 2015.
Mr Rob Wilson
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many potential overlapping payments between those processed through the universal credit live service and those processed for housing benefit have been identified in the East London Jobcentre Plus district since 2013.
Priti Patel
We do not retain statistics to identify the information requested, however we have safeguards in place to ensure an effective transition in these instances to avoid overlapping benefits.