Tag: Stephen Timms

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Access to Work programme for young deaf people; and if he will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson

Access to Work continues to support deaf people and people with hearing loss. Access to Work has specialist teams including a dedicated team for deaf people and those with hearing loss to help customers and their employers with advice on adjustments, technological support and personal budgets which are currently being trialled.

The number of people in general helped by Access to Work has grown in each of the three years to 2014/15 and are published quarterly here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/514468/access-to-work-statistics-to-dec-2015.pdf

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-06-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 27 April 2016 to Question 35139, how many people need to be successfully treated for latent TB infection under the Collaborative TB Strategy’s entrant screening programme to prevent one case of active TB.

Jane Ellison

Evidence shows that latent tuberculosis (TB) infection (LTBI) treatment has a protective efficacy of between 60-90% in preventing progressions to active TB[1]. Without treatment 5-10% of patients with LTBI would progress to active TB.

Using these figures, between 11 and 33 persons with LTBI would need to be treated to prevent one case of active TB.

[1]

Sharma SK, Sharma A, Kadhiravan T, Tharyan P. Rifamycins (rifampicin, rifabutin and rifapentine) compared to isoniazid for preventing tuberculosis in HIV-negative people at risk of active TB. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2013, Issue 7. Art. No.: CD007545. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD007545.pub2

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-07-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she would expect a Regional School Commissioner, having arranged, following a formal notice, for an Academy to move from one multi-academy trust to another, to carry out an investigation of the stewardship of the original Trust; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Timpson

Regional Schools Commissioners (RSCs) act in the name of the Secretary of State. Where a RSC takes the decision to transfer an academy from one trust to another, there will have been several discussions with both trusts involved. If such a move is due to concerns over performance, the RSC will hold the outgoing trust to account, ensuring that any remaining academies are receiving the best support and the trust is regularly monitored.

This information is publicly available and can be found in the RSC decision-making framework on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/517565/RSC-Decision-Making-Framework.pdf

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-07-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of differential rates of apprenticeship completion by sector; and if she will make a statement.

Robert Halfon

Apprenticeship achievement rates by sector subject area vary from 60.4% (Science and Maths) to 78.9% (Information and Communication Technology). With the exceptions of Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care, Arts, Media and Publishing and Science and Mathematics, the achievement rate for all Sector Subject Areas increased between the 2013/14 and 2014/15 academic years.

Our reforms are improving the quality of all apprenticeships. We have insisted that they must all be paid jobs with substantial training, develop transferable skills and have a minimum 12 months’ duration. Ensuring that, at the end of their apprenticeship, apprentices have transferable skills and can progress their career will all help encourage people to complete their apprenticeship.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of children aged 11 to 16 are educated at (a) selective state-maintained schools, (b) non-selective state-maintained comprehensive and academy schools, (c) independent fee-paying schools and (d) other educational settings in (i) the UK, (ii) England, (iii) Scotland, (iv) Wales and (v) Northern Ireland.

Nick Gibb

The number and proportion of pupils aged 11-16 in selective state-funded schools, non-selective state-funded secondary schools, independent schools and other settings in England are given in the table below. The Department does not hold this information for Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and therefore cannot provide these figures or a UK figure.

Type of Establishment	Number of pupils aged 11-16 (1)	Proportion of Total
State-funded selective schools	117,310	3.9%
State-funded non-selective secondary schools	2,569,444	86.2%
Independent Schools (2)	226,878	7.6%
All other educational settings (3)	66,498	2.2%

(1) Includes sole and dual main registered pupils, as at January 2016.

(2) Not all independent schools charge all pupils fees, but it is not possible to group only the fee-paying independent schools together here.

(3) Includes state-funded primary schools, state-funded special schools, non-maintained special schools, general hospital schools, pupil referral units and alternative provision academies and free schools.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-10-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in a case where an applicant has been refused employment and support allowance (ESA), the disallowance has been confirmed following mandatory reconsideration and an appeal against the refusal has been submitted, in what circumstances ESA is payable pending the outcome of the appeal.

Penny Mordaunt

Employment and Support Allowance can be paid at the assessment phase rate pending the appeal hearing as long as the conditions of entitlement are satisfied. Employment and Support Allowance is not payable pending an appeal where a claimant has previously been found fit for work following a Work Capability Assessment and makes a repeat claim for benefit and is found to be fit for work again.

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

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, in what circumstances major Government programmes are exempted from the requirement for Gateway Reviews.

Matthew Hancock

The Major Project Portfolio for each Department is agreed by the Department, the Major Projects Authority and the relevant HM Treasury spending team. Each programme on the portfolio is subject to an agreed schedule of approvals and assurance, which will normally include Gateway Reviews. There is no provision for formal exemption.

A Project Assessment Review is conducted either instead of or in addition to Gateway Reviews, and allows for specific terms of reference to be tailored to meet the assurance needs of the particular Government Major Project.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-04.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to increase productivity in 2015-16.

Greg Hands

Boosting productivity is vital for the UK’s living standards in the long term and the government is committed to tackling the UK’s long history of poor productivity growth. In July the government published “Fixing the foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation” – a 15 point plan for productivity growth in the UK over the next decade.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to page three of the document Universal Credit: increasing the childcare offer, published by his Department in December 2014, whether his Department remains on course to introduce childcare support into universal credit at 85 per cent of costs in April 2016.

Priti Patel

Yes, this change will be made as planned in April 2016. The Universal Credit and Miscellaneous Amendments Regulations 2015 include the legislative change which will bring this into force.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will establish a team in his Department to champion the interests of universal credit claimants as recommended in the report entitled Waiting for Credit: the delivery of universal credit experienced by Citizens Advice Bureau claimants in England and Wales.

Priti Patel

We are committed to ensuring all claimants receive the best possible support. All policies are kept under review to ensure this is the case.