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1185820

registered interest
date	17/03/2020
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support her Department is providing to universal credit claimants infected by covid-19.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	30668
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2020 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">As both the Prime Minister and Chancellor have made clear, the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID 19 and we have been clear in our intention that no one should be penalised for doing the right thing. These are rapidly developing circumstances, we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">The Government has been clear in its commitment to support those affected in these difficult times and we have made a number of changes to the welfare system in the past fortnight to ensure people are receiving the support they need. These changes include increasing the standard allowance of Universal Credit and working tax credit for this year by over £1000 a year.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">We have also increased the Local Housing Allowance rates for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit claimants so that it covers the cheapest third of local rents – which is on average £600 in people’s pockets. </ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">We are also temporarily relaxing the application of the Minimum Income Floor (MIF) for all self-employed claimants affected by the economic impact of COVID-19 to ensure that the self-employed can access UC at a more generous rate.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">Together, these measures represent an injection of over £6.5 billion into the welfare system.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">New Claims Advances are available to support those in immediate financial need until their first Universal Credit payment is made and the Department is committed to delivering advances as soon as possible to people who have requested them.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">The Universal Credit assessment period and payment structure are fundamental parts of the design and the current advance system works, and works quickly.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">It is not possible to award a Universal Credit payment as soon as a claim is made, as the assessment period must run its course before the award of Universal Credit can be calculated. In order to allow the Universal Credit system to cope with the unprecedented demand, we must limit the changes made to its framework.</ins></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 25/03/2020 12:58:32 question first ministerially corrected 15/04/2020 15:03:39 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince previous answer version 14658 answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1185821

registered interest
date	17/03/2020
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to shorten or bypass the universal credit assessment period for people who (a) need to self-isolate or (b) are out of work due to the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	30669
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2020 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">As both the Prime Minister and Chancellor have made clear, the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID 19 and we have been clear in our intention that no one should be penalised for doing the right thing. These are rapidly developing circumstances, we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">The Government has been clear in its commitment to support those affected in these difficult times and we have made a number of changes to the welfare system in the past fortnight to ensure people are receiving the support they need. These changes include increasing the standard allowance of Universal Credit and working tax credit for this year by over £1000 a year.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">We have also increased the Local Housing Allowance rates for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit claimants so that it covers the cheapest third of local rents – which is on average £600 in people’s pockets. </ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">We are also temporarily relaxing the application of the Minimum Income Floor (MIF) for all self-employed claimants affected by the economic impact of COVID-19 to ensure that the self-employed can access UC at a more generous rate.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">Together, these measures represent an injection of over £6.5 billion into the welfare system.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">New Claims Advances are available to support those in immediate financial need until their first Universal Credit payment is made and the Department is committed to delivering advances as soon as possible to people who have requested them.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">The Universal Credit assessment period and payment structure are fundamental parts of the design and the current advance system works, and works quickly.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">It is not possible to award a Universal Credit payment as soon as a claim is made, as the assessment period must run its course before the award of Universal Credit can be calculated. In order to allow the Universal Credit system to cope with the unprecedented demand, we must limit the changes made to its framework.</ins></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 25/03/2020 12:58:32 question first ministerially corrected 15/04/2020 15:03:30 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince previous answer version 14659 answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1505553

registered interest
date	06/09/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Languages: Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much his Department spent on teaching (a) Punjabi, (b) Bengali, (c) Hindi, (d) Gujarati, (e) Urdu, (f) Sinhalese, (g) Tamil, (h) Pashto and (i) Dari in schools in England in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	48198
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/09/2022 answer text <p>Awarding organisations offering GCSEs and A levels are independent, <ins class="ministerial">and mostly</ins> not-for-profit organisations<ins class="ministerial">, with the exception of Pearson Edexcel which is profit making</ins>. They are not contracted to provide assessments for pupils in particular subjects. AQA offer a GCSE and A level qualification in Punjabi and Bengali, as well as a GCSE in Urdu. Pearson Edexcel offer a GCSE and A level qualification in Gujarati and Urdu and International GCSEs (IGCSEs) in Bengali, Hindi, Sinhalese, and Tamil. Cambridge International offer an A level in Hindi, Urdu, and Tamil. There are no qualifications available in Pashto or Dari. Awarding organisations are free to introduce qualifications in any GCSE or A level subject where they consider there to be a case to do so.</p><p>It is up to schools to decide which languages are taught as part of their curriculum, both at primary and secondary school, and the government does not specify which languages should be taught or how to teach them.</p><p>There has been no funding provided directly for the teaching of Punjabi, Bengali, Hindi, Gujarati, Urdu, Sinhalese, Tamil, Pashto and Dari within the previous five years. However, the department has committed to establishing a network of language hubs, as per the Schools White Paper, and are considering ways in which we can support home, heritage and community languages as part of this.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 21/09/2022 17:23:22 question first ministerially corrected 17/10/2022 09:03:46 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst previous answer version 18097 answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1140572

registered interest
date	19/07/2019
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Credit Unions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2019 to Question 271326, for what reasons his Department does not offer a payroll deduction service to enable employees to join a credit union; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	279362
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/09/2019 answer text <p>I can confirm the department currently does not have the facility to allow staff to join a credit union through payroll deductions. Staff can still make arrangements to contribute to a credit union via direct debit.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams question first answered 02/09/2019 09:31:40 answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1140574

registered interest
date	19/07/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Credit Unions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2019 to Question 271328, for what reasons his Department does not offer a payroll deduction service to enable employees to join a credit union; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	279364
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/07/2019 answer text <p>Defra does not currently have the facility for employees to join a credit union through payroll deductions. Staff can make arrangements to contribute to a credit union via direct debit.</p><p> </p><p>Defra is currently investigating options for enhancing Employee Financial Wellbeing as part of a cross Civil Service pilot. Once the pilot is complete, my department will be considering options for our staff, including the possibility of credit unions.</p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 31/07/2019 15:14:42 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1140575

registered interest
date	19/07/2019
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Department for International Development: Credit Unions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2019 to Question 271330, for what reasons his Department does not offer a payroll deduction service to enable employees to join a credit union; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	279365
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/08/2019 answer text <p>DFID will assess the potential merits of enabling departmental staff to contribute to a credit union through payroll if at any time we receive a request from our employees to provide such a facility. DFID can find no record of a request being made.</p> answering member constituency Pendle answering member printed Andrew Stephenson question first answered 05/08/2019 16:24:19 answering member 4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1140578

registered interest
date	19/07/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Credit Unions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2019 to Question 271335, for what reasons his Department does not offer a payroll deduction service to enable employees to join a credit union; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	279368
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/08/2019 answer text <p>The Foreign &amp; Commonwealth Office does not have a facility to allow staff to join a credit union through payroll deductions, however staff can still make arrangements to contribute to a credit union via direct debit.</p><p>Financial wellbeing is a key part of pay and benefits package, and we offer a range of services to help staff build financial capability so they can make informed decisions about their finances.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 06/08/2019 13:41:27 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1141474

registered interest
date	23/07/2019
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Financial Institutions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government plans to bring forward a review of legislation for Co-op societies, Credit Unions and Community Benefit Societies as proposed by the Financial Conduct Authority in its 22 July 2019 report Alternatives to high-cost credit.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	280908
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>In 2014, the Government undertook a call for evidence to understand the appropriate steps that could be taken to support the credit union sector. Subsequently, the maximum interest a credit union can charge on loans was raised from 2% to 3% per month, and the upper limit on the geographical common bond was raised from 2 to 3 million people.</p><p> </p><p>The Government continues to be open to considering the case for further reform. ABCUL, the sector’s largest trade body, is currently carrying out a sector-wide consultation which is due to conclude later this year. HMT will consider its conclusions in the development of future credit union policy.</p><p> </p><p>At Autumn Budget 2018, the Government also announced a package of measures to support the availability of affordable credit, including:</p><p>o A £2 million affordable credit challenge fund, harnessing the UK’s FinTech sector to address challenges faced by social and community lenders, including credit unions.</p><p>o A change in the regulatory boundary of credit broking to make it easier for registered social landlords such as housing associations to refer their tenants to social and community lenders.</p><p>o A prize-linked savings pilot scheme, to encourage the growth of the credit union sector and encourage consumers to build up their personal savings. We hope credit unions will be able to use the deposits gained from their participation in the scheme to increase their overall lending.</p><p>o A feasibility study to design a pilot for a UK No-Interest Loans Scheme.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 03/09/2019 08:11:12 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1141475

registered interest
date	23/07/2019
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Charities: Taxation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to appoint a Principal Regulator for Exempt Charities using the community benefit society legal form; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	280909
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2019 answer text <p>An appropriate body could not be found that was willing and able to take on the role of Principal Regulator for charitable community benefit societies. Therefore, there are currently no plans to appoint a Principal Regulator for these charities. However we will keep this position under review. The Charities Act 2006 does not require the appointment of a principal regulator and exempt charities are still bound by the general principles of charity law.</p> answering member constituency Loughborough answering member printed Nicky Morgan question first answered 08/10/2019 07:59:26 answering member 4027 label Biography information for Baroness Morgan of Cotes
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1141800

registered interest
date	24/07/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Primary Education: Harrow
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations he has received from (a) Harrow council and (b) other stakeholders on the financial costs incurred by Harrow Council as a result of the need to urgently move the location of Pinner Wood Primary School; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	281559
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/09/2019 answer text <p>Harrow Borough Council officers contacted the Department’s officials in March 2017 when the issue of the temporary relocation of Pinner Wood Primary School occurred. The Department has received letters of support from my right hon. Friend, the Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner and my hon. Friend, the Member for Harrow East. No further exchanges have taken place with other parties.</p><p>The safety of pupils and staff is paramount, and Harrow Borough Council acted promptly and properly in discharging their statutory responsibilities for health and safety by moving the school to alternative accommodation.</p><p>Harrow Borough Council have submitted a request for funding to reimburse them for the costs incurred. As Pinner Wood Primary School is a local authority-maintained school, responsibility for maintenance and capital works rests with Harrow Borough Council. Harrow Borough Council receive capital funding through the School Condition Allocation to meet capital needs of their school estate, including the funding of emergency situations. Unexpected capital projects do arise occasionally, and we would normally expect local authorities to reprioritise spending plans wherever possible to address them.</p><p>The Department recognises the exceptional nature of this case. Officials are revisiting the details of the request and are committed to securing a contribution towards the temporary accommodation and transportation costs. We will notify Harrow Borough Council promptly as soon as this process is completed.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 04/09/2019 16:46:33 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas