Tag: Stephen Timms

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-05-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage more UK nationals to take up traineeships in the European Parliament and European Commission.

Mr David Lidington

The EU staffing unit, established in April 2013, promotes EU careers across the UK and supports candidates through the application process. It has increased secondments in positions of strategic importance to the UK. The European Fast Stream within the Civil Service has also been re-launched.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-06-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has developed proposals that enable academies to be re-brokered with a new sponsor or multi academy trust on the initiative of parents of children in those academies.

Edward Timpson

Our White Paper Educational Excellence Everywhere set out the Government’s intention to engage Multi Academy Trusts (MATs), sponsors, academies, dioceses and the wider schools sector to ensure that the academies legal framework for the future can achieve the right balance of intervention, review and stability. This included a commitment to consider how parents at individual schools might be able to petition Regional Schools Commissioners (RSCs) for their school to move to a different MAT where the school or its MAT is underperforming or in other exceptional circumstances.

We will be testing and consulting on proposals for the future legal framework with a wide range of stakeholders, including parents, in due course. This engagement will assess the implications of different legal framework models and ensure that any options which are taken forward are fit for purpose.

RSCs already take action to move academies to new trusts where necessary and parents should continue to escalate any concerns they have about academies to RSCs where the academy trust has not responded sufficiently to their concerns.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-07-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the (a) minutes and (b) agendas of the Regional School Commissioners Strategy Forum are published; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Timpson

The minutes and agendas of the Regional School Commissioners (RSC) Strategy Forum are for internal use and are not published.

The RSCs meet monthly for the RSC Strategy Forum. The dates on which these meetings have taken place are as follows:

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-07-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the levels of performance of (a) good, (b) satisfactory and (c) inadequate schools after becoming academies as a result of the introduction of new criteria for academisation in 2010.

Edward Timpson

We are committed to the vision of a dynamic high-performing school system where every school is an academy.

The department routinely monitors the performance of all academies and intervenes swiftly if there are signs of underperformance.

The department published analysis in 2014 which showed that schools rated good or satisfactory were more likely to improve their rating after converting to academy status, this can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/performance-of-converter-academies-in-2012-to-2013

Ofsted data from December 2015 have shown that 88% of previously inadequate schools improved their rating when inspected for the first time as a sponsored academy.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on prioritising maintaining or increasing the number of students from the EU who attend universities in the UK.

Joseph Johnson

The UK has a long established higher education system that supports, and attracts, the brightest minds, at all stages of their careers.

Existing rules on EU and other EEA students remain in force. Future arrangements for EU students wishing to study in the UK will need to be considered as part of wider discussions about the UK’s relationship with the EU.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that universal credit is effective in supporting an increasing number of people into self-employment.

Damian Hinds

Universal Credit Claimants who are gainfully self-employed and within one year of starting out in self-employment are also eligible for a ‘start-up period’, of up to one year to support them to grow their business.

Claimants who are in their start-up period will attend quarterly sessions designed to provide support, assistance and guidance. They will have access to a cadre of work coaches with the right skills to signpost self-employed people to support to grow their business and earnings.

We will use survey findings to ensure that the journey for newly self-employed claimants of Universal Credit is effective.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-10-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the announcement of 1 October 2016 that people with long-term degenerative conditions will be exempt from repeat work capability assessments, if he will confirm that that exemption will apply to people who have been found eligible for employment and support allowance and who have a diagnosis of (a) motor neurone disease or (b) Parkinson’s disease.

Penny Mordaunt

There is no condition based entitlement to Employment Support Allowance.

We will be working over the coming months with medical professionals and other stakeholders to develop functional criteria that will help us identify those with the most severe health conditions or disabilities, for whom repeat work capability assessments can be stopped.

Rather than a list of specific medical conditions, the criteria will be based on identifying claimants with the most severe health conditions or disabilities where it would be unreasonable to expect the individual to undertake any form or amount of work or work-related activity. This change will only apply to those placed in the Support Group and UC equivalent.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-10-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to involve disabled people in the design of better access to public transport.

Andrew Jones

The Department sponsors the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC). DPTAC has a Chair and 12 members with a range of impairments. It advises the government on transport legislation, regulations and guidance and on the transport needs of disabled people, ensuring disabled people have the same access to transport as everyone else.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-10-30.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to encourage manufacturing.

Harriett Baldwin

Our long term economic plan is working, with the UK growing faster than any other major economy in 2013 and 14. But job is not done, which is why we are working with industry to drive innovation and lead the global race in technology, engineering and manufacturing.

To encourage investment in manufacturing and the economy as a whole, the Government has announced an increase in the permanent level of Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) from £25,000 to £200,000 from 1 January 2016. This incentivises investment in plant and machinery, and SMEs will benefit disproportionately.

Catapult centres are further supporting the UK’s manufacturing productivity and competitiveness, facilitating collaboration and boosting inward investment. £300m has been invested in manufacturing through the High Value Manufacturing Catapult network and over the last year it has worked with over 1,650 private sector clients on over 1,300 projects.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how his Department has used benefit off-flow data in the last three years to calculate remuneration for jobcentre (a) managers and (b) advisers.

Priti Patel

Benefit off-flow data is not used to calculate increases to consolidated pay.