Tag: Stephen Timms

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many enlisted soldiers who were not commissioned officers gained GCSEs in (a) English and (b) mathematics while serving in the army in each of the last five years; and how many such soldiers gained GCSEs in (i) English and (ii) mathematics within four years of enlisting.

Mark Lancaster

The Army provides opportunities for personnel to gain functional skills in literacy and numeracy. These are the standards that the Army has determined it requires and links these functional skills qualifications with promotion to certain ranks. Individuals are free to pursue GCSEs as part of their elective personal development with the support of learning credits schemes but the details of such GCSE qualifications are not held centrally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-04-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2016 to Question 33687, what funding and support (a) his Department and (b) NHS England have provided to integrate blood-borne virus testing into mobile digital radiology screening for active TB in line with NICE guidance NG33 of January 2016.

Jane Ellison

As yet, no funding has been allocated to include blood-borne virus (BBV) testing into mobile screening outreach services.

NHS England has provided additional funding to the London ‘Find & Treat’ mobile health unit so that they can offer latent Tuberculosis testing and treatment. The Find & Treat service continues its discussions with the Hepatitis C Trust to work in partnership to provide on-the-spot screening for hepatitis C and onward care.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance NG33 published in January 2016 suggests that integrating BBV testing into mobile digital radiology screening services would be good practice. NHS England has expressed an interest to consider this further, and discussions continue with the lead London Clinical Commissioning Groups.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2016 to Question 34910, how many Guided Learning Hours are required for recruits to complete a (a) GCSE and (b) Level 2 in numeracy or literacy.

Penny Mordaunt

The Ministry of Defence has no established policy relating to time allowed to deliver GCSEs and Level 2 functional skills. Armed Forces Training Establishments follow the Guided Learning Hours (GLH) guidance provided by Education Awarding Bodies. The GLH as identified by the course governing body are used as a starting point when teaching functional skills. Our aim is to provide our trainees with a framework to achieve the qualification with the best possible support, not to achieve it within a certain period of time.

The Royal Navy normally allocate three weeks for guided learning functional skills courses delivered as part of longer professional skills development training. The GLH for each qualification in the Army is 45 hours; however this can vary depending on individual needs and other factors such as location. Time allocated to functional skills training in the RAF will depend on the establishment delivering the training with some schools allocating between 45 and 64 hours.

GCSEs are treated as elective courses for Service Personnel and time allocated for GCSEs is dependent on the individual and varies between four weeks for an intensive course and up to 16 weeks for a part time course. Army Personnel can undertake GCSEs or IGCSEs through evening classes run by the Army Education Centres and there will be a set programme linked to the GLH which is usually a minimum of 125 hours. The RAF and Navy offer courses which can be intensive or delivered over an extended period of time delivered by external providers.

All Armed Forces Training Establishments have the ability to deliver functional skills training and GCSEs flexibly and time allocated is dependent on the individual and their needs as reflected in each individual’s learning plan.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK nationals were employed by the European Parliament in each year since 2010; and how many such people were employed at administrator grade.

Mr David Lidington

The European Parliament does not publish statistics on numbers of permanent staff by nationality. According to our own records, the total the numbers of UK nationals employed by the European Parliament in each year since 2010 is:

2010: 290
2011: 306
2012: 306
2013: 291
2014: 271
2015: 251

The latest figure available is for May 2016 and is 263.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-05-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage UK nationals to take up junior and entry-level positions in the European Commission.

Mr David Lidington

UK representation has been falling across EU institutions as UK officials retire and are not replaced by the same number of new UK entrants. The Government is committed to reversing this picture, recognising that this will require a sustained effort. 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, what plans she has to ensure that multi-academy trusts are accountable to the parents of students in those academies.

Edward Timpson

Our White Paper Educational Excellence Everywhere set out the Government’s intention to introduce a new duty on academies to ensure that they listen to the views and needs of all parents, particularly when key decisions are made about their child’s school. For Multi Academy Trusts (MATs) we will expect all academies to engage meaningfully at a local level.

We are committed to ensuring parents have a more significant voice in their child’s school. Through the new Parent Portal, we will ensure parents have access to clear and simple information about the school system and how to support their child. This will work alongside the new performance tables website which is making it easier for parents to find out how well their child’s school is performing and to compare schools across a range of key measures.

We will provide guidance on handling complaints to ensure a common approach for all schools and MATs so that all parents know where they can go if a problem arises. In addition, we will make it simpler for parents to escalate complaints to the Department, and beyond that to a public service ombudsman.

Finally, we are considering how parents might petition Regional Schools Commissioners for their child’s school to move to a different MAT where there is underperformance or other exceptional circumstances.

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

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with stakeholders on the implication of the outcome of the EU referendum for future levels of employment in the UK financial services industry.

Mr David Gauke

The Government is committed to the UK hosting the world’s most competitive international financial centre and securing a long-term economic relationship with the rest of Europe that provides for the best possible terms of trade in goods and services, including financial services.

The Chancellor and other Treasury ministers have met, and will continue to meet, a number of financial services stakeholders since the referendum. The impact of the referendum on the financial services industry was discussed at these meetings. Future employment in the UK financial services industry will be commercial decisions for individual firms.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the maximum duration is of an apprenticeship.

Robert Halfon

To ensure that apprenticeships are focused on providing sustained and substantial training, they must last for at least 12 months. We do not set a maximum duration centrally, but apprenticeships generally take between one and four years to complete.

The suggested duration of each apprenticeship is set by employers when designing the apprenticeship standard.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on maintaining current immigration controls for passengers using international high-speed rail services to and from the UK.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The UK is not part of the Schengen border-free zone and maintains its own border checks, retaining the right to check all arrivals, including EU citizens from continental Europe. The agreements that underpin juxtaposed immigration controls at international rail stations in France and Belgium are not directly affected by Britain’s membership of the EU.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many apprenticeships each government department will contribute to the Government’s target of three million apprenticeships by 2020.

Ben Gummer

It is the responsibility of individual departments to project their workforce, including apprenticeships.

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T​he Civil Service implemented a single apprenticeship target of a minimum 2.3% of the workforce in England as apprenticeships starts from 1 January 2016. To meet this, ​departments have agreed to achieve 2.3% of their workforce in England as apprenticeship starts. This is an annual target that will be measured by financial years based on headcount at the start of that reporting period.

We estimate that there will be at least 30,000 apprenticeship starts in England by the end of the Parliament.