Tag: Stephen Timms

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-12-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2015 to Question 18565, what the components are of the 12 month support package provided to resettled Syrian refugees to assist with their integration.

Richard Harrington

The Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme prioritises those who cannot be supported effectively in the region, and the 12 month support package which refugees are offered is therefore tailored according to their individual needs. The main components are accommodation; cultural integration, including English Language tuition; and addressing any medical and social care needs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-12-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which charities her Department has funded to assist people affected by the Syria crisis since 2012.

Mr Desmond Swayne

The UK has been at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. We have pledged over £1.1 billion, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.

As part of the our response to the Syria Crisis, the UK is supporting a range of implementing partners working in Syria and neighbouring countries, including United Nations agencies, international Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), the Red Cross and other international organisations. NGO partners include CARE International, the Danish Refugee Council, Handicap International, the International Rescue Committee, Islamic Relief, Mercy Corps, the Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, Save the Children and World Vision. Due to security reasons, some of our International NGO partners working in Syria have requested to remain undisclosed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-01-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the average change in entitlement for existing universal credit claimants who are in work as a result of changes to benefits taking effect in April 2016.

Priti Patel

The vast majority of existing Universal Credit claimants will see no change in entitlement. Those who are in work and who are affected will receive additional support from their work coach and, where appropriate, from the locally administered flexible support fund.

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 implications for her policies of the European Commission’s Circular Economy Action Plan proposals, published in December 2015; and if she will make a statement.

Rory Stewart

The European Commission’s Circular Economy Action Plan sets out a large number of proposed measures to be delivered between 2015 and 2019 and we are currently considering those in more detail. An Explanatory Memorandum on the Action Plan has been submitted and can be found on the Cabinet Office’s website under European Memoranda:

(http://europeanmemoranda.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/memorandum/communication-from-the-commission-to-the-ep-council-the-eesc-cor-closing-the-loop-an)

That document provides further information on the Action Plan and outlines our current views on the policy implications of its proposals.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many qualified counsellors worked in child and adult mental health services in each of the last three years.

Alistair Burt

This information is not held centrally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-02-08.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will have discussions with the Office of Tax Simplification on reviewing and simplifying the tax regime for contractors.

Mr David Gauke

The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) is already considering a wide range of issues relating to the taxation of contractors as part of its small companies review. It will report on its findings ahead of Budget.

The topics of future OTS reviews will be announced in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-02-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of (a) primary and (b) secondary full-time teachers have completed (i) three, (ii) five, (iii) 10, (iv) 15 and (v) 20 years of teaching since qualifying.

Nick Gibb

The information is not available in the format requested. The Department publishes statistics showing, for each calendar year since 1996, the number of teachers that have qualified and entered service and the percentage that remain in service in each following year.

The number of teachers in our schools continues to grow year-on-year. Teaching has a lower turnover rate than the economy as a whole; 90 per cent of teachers in state schools stay in the profession from one year to the next. The latest data show that 72 per cent of teachers that qualified during 2009 and were in service by March 2010 were still in service five years later. Similarly, 62 per cent of teachers that qualified during 2004 and were in service by March 2005 were still in service ten years later.

These statistics are published in table C2 of the additional tables in the School Workforce in England Statistical First Release, November 2014. This publication is attached and available on GOV.UK at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2014

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-03-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department takes into account successful challenges to benefit sanctions retrospectively in benefit off-flow statistics.

Priti Patel

It is not necessary to retrospectively adjust the benefit off-flow statistics. The sanctions figures cover both disallowances and sanctions and neither automatically lead to an off-flow from JSA.

We ask claimants who are disallowed and who wish to continue claiming to reaffirm their circumstances and those that do so remain in the claimant count. Only those not prepared to commit to actively seek and be available for work would leave the count as an off-flow.

Claimants who are sanctioned retain their underlying entitlement to benefit and only flow off if they choose not to attend their job search reviews.