The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-03-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the average time taken to provide reimbursement when a benefit sanction is overturned by appeal in the last 12 months.
Priti Patel
The information requested is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-03-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her financial statement of 16 March 2016, Official Report, column 963, how the £500 million funding will be used to speed up the introduction of a fair national school funding formula.
Mr Sam Gyimah
The Chancellor announced at the Budget that £540 million would be provided to the Department for Education to support the school reform agenda. This will supplement the department’s Spending Review settlement.
We will spend around £500 million over the Spending Review period, over and above the per pupil protection of the core school budget, to accelerate the introduction of a fair national funding formula. All of this funding will be provided to support children’s education.
The funding means that the government will be able to accelerate gains for schools that are due to see funding increases under the formula, while continuing to offer a minimum funding guarantee for all schools. We are currently consulting on the principles and funding factors that should define the national funding formula for schools. A second consultation, later this year, will address the weighting attached to those factors and transitional arrangements, including the use of this funding.
A link to the consultation can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/schools-national-funding-formula.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many appeal hearings at the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum) were (a) withdrawn and (b) adjourned because the Home Office did not send a representative in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15.
Mr Shailesh Vara
The First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) is administered by HM Courts & Tribunals Service.
There are no available data relating to numbers of appeals withdrawn where the Home Office representative did not attend the hearing.
The number of appeal hearings adjourned because the Home Office did not send a representative in (i) 2012-13 was 64 (ii) 2013-14 was 61 and (iii) 2014-15 was 68. For comparison, the figure in 2009/10 was 94.
Data provided are internal Management Information and not subject to the same quality checks as Official Statistics.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect on claimants of the time which elapses between a claim for universal credit and the first payment of that benefit.
Priti Patel
Many people who claim Universal Credit have come from the world of employment and have final earnings or other income to support themselves until their first benefit payment. With Universal Credit all claimants can get help with budgeting and those in financial need can ask for a Universal Credit advance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the savings to his Department arising from application of the under-occupancy penalty in each of the last three financial years.
Justin Tomlinson
The estimated savings from the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy policy in each of the last three financial years is as follows:
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-05-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2016 to Question 35127, what the average cost of removing to India a person who had been refused leave to remain by (a) sea and (b) air was in the last year for which figures are available.
James Brokenshire
The Home Office has published information on the average cost of removal but this is not broken down by mode of transport, and to do so would incur disproportionate cost. Further information can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/costs-involved-in-detaining-and-removing-illegal-migrants.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-05-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data Universal Credit recipients and claims in their area his Department will regularly release to local authorities.
Priti Patel
Work is underway to enable DWP to share data with Local Authorities for a range of specific purposes relating to welfare services and council tax. For example, to facilitate efficient and accurate administration of Local Council Tax Reduction Schemes or Universal Support.
In implementing any data sharing scheme DWP adheres to the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Human Rights Act 1998 and undertake a privacy impact assessment to establish, precisely what data the Local Authority requires; why they require it; and what they intend to do with it.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-06-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the appointment of an EU Special Envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the EU.
Mr David Lidington
The Government notes the designation of Mr Jan Figel as special advisor to Commissioner Mimica on religious issues. We look forward to the presentation of his proposed mandate for discussion by EU Member States’ human rights experts. The Government is strongly committed to the defence of freedom of religion or belief globally and will work to ensure that Mr Figel’s appointment contributes to this goal.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-06-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 June 2016 to Question 40256, what steps she is taking to ensure that a school which is not required formally to consult about academy conversion takes into account the views of local stakeholders.
Edward Timpson
As set out in the answer to question 40256, the Education and Adoption Act 2016 requires that where schools are eligible for intervention, the incoming sponsor of the academy is required to communicate to parents its plans for improving the school. The Department will confirm that sponsors have complied with this duty prior to enter into a Funding Agreement with the Trust.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-07-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what role a maintained school issued with an Academy Order to convert to academy status has in selecting its multi-academy trust or sponsor.
Edward Timpson
Where a maintained school is eligible for intervention, there is no requirement to consult on the sponsor selection except in the case of a foundation or voluntary school with a foundation. In these circumstances the Regional Schools Commissioner (RSC) is required to consult the trustees and the people who appoint the foundation governors and, in the case of a school which has a religious character, the appropriate religious body about the identity of the sponsor.
The proposed sponsor of the new academy is under a duty to communicate their plans to improve schools to parents.
Further information about RSC powers of intervention over maintained schools and their decision-making are set out in the Schools Causing Concern guidance and the RSC decision-making framework, which can be found on GOV.UK at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/510080/schools-causing-concern-guidance.pdf; and https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/517565/RSC-Decision-Making-Framework.pdf
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