John McDonnell Portrait

John McDonnell

Labour - Hayes and Harlington

First elected: 1st May 1997


Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Bill
20th Jul 2022 - 7th Sep 2022
Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill
7th Sep 2021 - 22nd Sep 2021
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
14th Sep 2015 - 5th Apr 2020
Justice Committee
25th Nov 2013 - 30th Mar 2015
Unopposed Bills (Panel)
17th Oct 2001 - 14th Nov 2002
Regulatory Reform
16th Jul 2001 - 11th Apr 2002
Deregulation
19th Mar 1999 - 11th May 2001


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, John McDonnell has voted in 780 divisions, and 5 times against the majority of their Party.

25 Mar 2021 - Coronavirus - View Vote Context
John McDonnell voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 21 Labour No votes vs 176 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 484 Noes - 76
30 Dec 2020 - Sittings of the House - View Vote Context
John McDonnell voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 7 Labour Aye votes vs 183 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 335 Noes - 212
3 Nov 2021 - Nuclear Energy (Financing) Bill - View Vote Context
John McDonnell voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 3 Labour No votes vs 53 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 319 Noes - 44
14 Dec 2021 - Public Health - View Vote Context
John McDonnell voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 22 Labour No votes vs 124 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 385 Noes - 100
10 Jan 2022 - Nuclear Energy (Financing) Bill - View Vote Context
John McDonnell voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 6 Labour No votes vs 148 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 458 Noes - 53
View All John McDonnell Division Votes

Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Matt Western (Labour)
Shadow Minister (Education)
(26 debate interactions)
Michelle Donelan (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
(23 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Department for Education
(98 debate contributions)
HM Treasury
(76 debate contributions)
Home Office
(52 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
Legislation Debates
Finance Act 2021
(6,760 words contributed)
Contingencies Fund Act 2020
(4,320 words contributed)
View All Legislation Debates
View all John McDonnell's debates

Hayes and Harlington Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Petition Debates Contributed

We want the Government to amend the Grocery Supply Code of Practice (GSCP) to require retailers, without exception, to:

- Buy what they agreed to buy
- Pay what they agreed to pay
- Pay on time

We believe the current GSCP is inadequate and doesn't protect farmers from unfair behaviour.

Undocumented Migrants are suffering in silence, with no access to adequate Financial support, or any help. The Government should grant an urgent Amnesty of 5years to those with no criminal record so that they could live their lives as normal human beings and pay tax to help the UK economy.

We ask Government to significantly increase targeted research funding for motor neurone disease (MND).

A new investment of £50m over 5 years could kickstart a pioneering MND Research Institute.

This would lead to better, faster and more definitive research outcomes and hope for those with MND.

Bring in a law which enforces professional football clubs to have at least 51% fan ownership similar to how the Bundesliga operates this rule.

The Government should use the recently established fan led review of football to introduce an Independent Football Regulator in England to put fans back at the heart of our national game. This should happen by December 2021.

The Government must make a public statement on the #kissanprotests & press freedoms.

India is the worlds largest democracy & democratic engagement and freedom of the press are fundamental rights and a positive step towards creating a India that works for all.

The government is helping private firms to protect jobs by paying up to 80% of staff wages through this crisis. If it can do this why can it not help key workers who will be putting themselves/their families at risk and working extra hard under extremely challenging and unprecedented circumstances.

During the pandemic government workers have delivered vital public services and kept our country safe and secure. After ten years in which the real value of civil service pay has fallen, many face hardship. The Government must start to restore the real value of their pay with a 10% increase in 2020.


Latest EDMs signed by John McDonnell

12th March 2024
John McDonnell signed this EDM on Wednesday 13th March 2024

Tanks, vehicles and aircraft for Ukraine

Tabled by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
That this House applauds the Ukrainian resistance to the all-out Russian invasion; condemns delays and obstruction of aid, which contributed to the fall of the city of Adviivka; notes the danger to Ukraine posed by populists and the far right in Europe and the USA; recognises that the UK must …
12 signatures
(Most recent: 18 Mar 2024)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 6
Scottish National Party: 4
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Independent: 1
11th March 2024
John McDonnell signed this EDM on Wednesday 13th March 2024

World Glaucoma Day 2024

Tabled by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
That this House notes World Glaucoma Day, celebrated on 12 March with this years theme of Uniting for a Glaucoma-Free World, focusing on bringing communities worldwide to fight together against glaucoma blindness; highlights that over 700,000 people in the UK have glaucoma and around 18,000 of these cases are in …
13 signatures
(Most recent: 18 Mar 2024)
Signatures by party:
Scottish National Party: 4
Democratic Unionist Party: 2
Independent: 2
Liberal Democrat: 2
Labour: 2
Conservative: 1
View All John McDonnell's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by John McDonnell, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


John McDonnell has not been granted any Urgent Questions

John McDonnell has not been granted any Adjournment Debates

5 Bills introduced by John McDonnell


The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress.

Commons - 40%

Last Event - 2nd Reading: House Of Commons
Friday 22nd October 2010

A Bill to establish an accreditation scheme for businesses that meet standards regarding the treatment of workers, the payment of taxes and environmental practices; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Wednesday 30th September 2020
(Read Debate)

The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to regulate refractive eye surgery, including laser eye surgery.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Wednesday 20th November 2013

The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Wednesday 20th June 2012

The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. Enable representation of a constituency by two persons sharing membership of the House of Commons; and for connected purposes

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Tuesday 20th November 2012

Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
19th Oct 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the retendering of Facilities Management contracts in the Mitie Affiliate Cluster, what recent meetings he has held with (a) the Chief Operating Officer for the Civil Service, (b) the Chief Executive of the Government Property Agency and (c) civil service trade unions.

Employment Terms and Conditions are a matter for Employers and their Employees.

However, the Government Property Agency (GPA) has supported the employee representatives, notably the PCS Trade Union, in discussions with the GPA's new suppliers. All suppliers have listened to the concerns expressed by the PCS trade union and have provided both assurance and solutions to ensure that any affected member of staff is not directly or indirectly affected by the change of their employer. This includes financial assistance via ex gratia payments and interest-free loans and advice and support to mitigate against issues surrounding the claiming of "in work" benefits.

The GPA is committed to eliminating all forms of discrimination. Throughout the workplace services transformation programme the GPA has continued to give PSED due consideration and will continue the completion of the impact assessment following the recent award of contracts. This will be shared with trade unions upon completion. The successful bidders have been tested for this requirement at Framework creation stage and will be required to demonstrate ongoing compliance with the Equalities Act 2010 and the GPA’s aspirations during delivery of the contract.

Whilst the GPA has an active interest in the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE) transfer of supplier employees, TUPE transfers are a matter for both the outgoing and incoming contractors and both the outgoing and incoming suppliers are experienced in this area. The employee rights are set out by the TUPE regulations and reinforced in the Crown Commercial Services framework which this contract is let on. The Government Property Agency will act upon any breach of this legislation if it occurs and holds its supply chain to the legislative requirements. The GPA continues to encourage both their current and their new suppliers to exchange information quickly to enable consultations to be effective and to resolve queries quickly where they arise.


Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
19th Oct 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the retendering of Facilities Management contracts in the Mitie Affiliate Cluster, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of TUPE transfer provisions for (a) corporately employed and (b) privately contracted staff.

Employment Terms and Conditions are a matter for Employers and their Employees.

However, the Government Property Agency (GPA) has supported the employee representatives, notably the PCS Trade Union, in discussions with the GPA's new suppliers. All suppliers have listened to the concerns expressed by the PCS trade union and have provided both assurance and solutions to ensure that any affected member of staff is not directly or indirectly affected by the change of their employer. This includes financial assistance via ex gratia payments and interest-free loans and advice and support to mitigate against issues surrounding the claiming of "in work" benefits.

The GPA is committed to eliminating all forms of discrimination. Throughout the workplace services transformation programme the GPA has continued to give PSED due consideration and will continue the completion of the impact assessment following the recent award of contracts. This will be shared with trade unions upon completion. The successful bidders have been tested for this requirement at Framework creation stage and will be required to demonstrate ongoing compliance with the Equalities Act 2010 and the GPA’s aspirations during delivery of the contract.

Whilst the GPA has an active interest in the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE) transfer of supplier employees, TUPE transfers are a matter for both the outgoing and incoming contractors and both the outgoing and incoming suppliers are experienced in this area. The employee rights are set out by the TUPE regulations and reinforced in the Crown Commercial Services framework which this contract is let on. The Government Property Agency will act upon any breach of this legislation if it occurs and holds its supply chain to the legislative requirements. The GPA continues to encourage both their current and their new suppliers to exchange information quickly to enable consultations to be effective and to resolve queries quickly where they arise.


Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
19th Oct 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the retendering of Facilities Management contracts in the Mitie Affiliate Cluster, what steps he has taken to ensure that the Government Property Agency complies with its public sector equality duty to evaluate the potential impact of the proposed changes to the (a) terms and conditions and (b) general working arrangements on staff with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.

Employment Terms and Conditions are a matter for Employers and their Employees.

However, the Government Property Agency (GPA) has supported the employee representatives, notably the PCS Trade Union, in discussions with the GPA's new suppliers. All suppliers have listened to the concerns expressed by the PCS trade union and have provided both assurance and solutions to ensure that any affected member of staff is not directly or indirectly affected by the change of their employer. This includes financial assistance via ex gratia payments and interest-free loans and advice and support to mitigate against issues surrounding the claiming of "in work" benefits.

The GPA is committed to eliminating all forms of discrimination. Throughout the workplace services transformation programme the GPA has continued to give PSED due consideration and will continue the completion of the impact assessment following the recent award of contracts. This will be shared with trade unions upon completion. The successful bidders have been tested for this requirement at Framework creation stage and will be required to demonstrate ongoing compliance with the Equalities Act 2010 and the GPA’s aspirations during delivery of the contract.

Whilst the GPA has an active interest in the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE) transfer of supplier employees, TUPE transfers are a matter for both the outgoing and incoming contractors and both the outgoing and incoming suppliers are experienced in this area. The employee rights are set out by the TUPE regulations and reinforced in the Crown Commercial Services framework which this contract is let on. The Government Property Agency will act upon any breach of this legislation if it occurs and holds its supply chain to the legislative requirements. The GPA continues to encourage both their current and their new suppliers to exchange information quickly to enable consultations to be effective and to resolve queries quickly where they arise.


Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
19th Oct 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the retendering of Facilities Management contracts in the Mitie Affiliate Cluster, what steps he has taken to ensure continuity of payment of (a) pay and (b) in-work benefits.

Employment Terms and Conditions are a matter for Employers and their Employees.

However, the Government Property Agency (GPA) has supported the employee representatives, notably the PCS Trade Union, in discussions with the GPA's new suppliers. All suppliers have listened to the concerns expressed by the PCS trade union and have provided both assurance and solutions to ensure that any affected member of staff is not directly or indirectly affected by the change of their employer. This includes financial assistance via ex gratia payments and interest-free loans and advice and support to mitigate against issues surrounding the claiming of "in work" benefits.

The GPA is committed to eliminating all forms of discrimination. Throughout the workplace services transformation programme the GPA has continued to give PSED due consideration and will continue the completion of the impact assessment following the recent award of contracts. This will be shared with trade unions upon completion. The successful bidders have been tested for this requirement at Framework creation stage and will be required to demonstrate ongoing compliance with the Equalities Act 2010 and the GPA’s aspirations during delivery of the contract.

Whilst the GPA has an active interest in the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE) transfer of supplier employees, TUPE transfers are a matter for both the outgoing and incoming contractors and both the outgoing and incoming suppliers are experienced in this area. The employee rights are set out by the TUPE regulations and reinforced in the Crown Commercial Services framework which this contract is let on. The Government Property Agency will act upon any breach of this legislation if it occurs and holds its supply chain to the legislative requirements. The GPA continues to encourage both their current and their new suppliers to exchange information quickly to enable consultations to be effective and to resolve queries quickly where they arise.


Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
25th Feb 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the average number of sick days taken by people in each grade of the Civil Service.

The Civil Service has a range of measures in place to support the health and wellbeing of civil servants. These include access to advice from Occupational Health practitioners on how they can be supported to stay in or return to work as well as to counselling and support for a range of issues which may include the impacts of ill-health. The Civil Service proactively ensures that its policies reflect best practice on health and wellbeing by monitoring the latest research and emerging trends.

The letter from PCS of 22 February 2021 was discussed during one of the regular discussions Cabinet Office has with the National Trade Union Committee - which includes PCS - on our policies to support the health, wellbeing and attendance of civil servants.

The Cabinet Office publishes sickness absence management information for the Civil Service on an annual basis, including breakdowns by grade. The latest data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-sickness-absence

25th Feb 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the potential policy implications for the Civil Service of the Whitehall I and II longitudinal health surveys of civil servants.

The Civil Service has a range of measures in place to support the health and wellbeing of civil servants. These include access to advice from Occupational Health practitioners on how they can be supported to stay in or return to work as well as to counselling and support for a range of issues which may include the impacts of ill-health. The Civil Service proactively ensures that its policies reflect best practice on health and wellbeing by monitoring the latest research and emerging trends.

The letter from PCS of 22 February 2021 was discussed during one of the regular discussions Cabinet Office has with the National Trade Union Committee - which includes PCS - on our policies to support the health, wellbeing and attendance of civil servants.

The Cabinet Office publishes sickness absence management information for the Civil Service on an annual basis, including breakdowns by grade. The latest data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-sickness-absence

25th Feb 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether policy initiatives were launched by his Department in response to the publication of the booklet, Work, Stress and Health: the Whitehall II Study, in 2004.

Due to data retention policies, the Cabinet Office does not hold the requested information.

22nd Nov 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of (a) civil and (b) public servant roles will move out of London under the Places for Growth programme.

As part of the Budget in 2020, the Government made a commitment to relocate 22,000 Civil Service roles from Greater London to locations across the UK by 2030, with commitments from departments and public bodies to relocate up to 15,000 by 2025. The Places for Growth Portfolio is at the heart of delivering this agenda working with departments and public bodies to ensure local voices are taken into account when making policy. As of 31st March 2021 there were 101,930 civil servants in London which represents 21% of the total.

The Government has made it clear that the Civil Service and its public bodies should have a truly national footprint. Whilst the majority of public bodies are already fairly regionally/nationally dispersed, those with a presence in London are still a key part of our Places for Growth work.

3rd Sep 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what payments on contracts the Department made to Topham Guerin in August 2021; what payments are scheduled to made to that company in September 2021; and what were the nature of those contracts.

The Cabinet Office publishes details of all contracts over £10,000 on Contracts Finder and spend over £500, including on public information campaigns, on gov.uk on a rolling basis. This will include expenditure on this campaign and will be broken down by supplier.

This contract was modified in accordance with Regulation 72.1.(c) and 72.1.(b) of the Public Contract Regulations. Further detail is available in the Tenders Electronic Daily supplement to the Official Journal of the EU.

7th Jul 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department made at the time the Government Property Agency (GPA) was established of the effectiveness of the dispute resolution process relating to industrial disputes between the GPA, Government Departments and outsourced facilities management contractors.

The GPA has Client Managers in place for the Departments they support. Any disagreements would typically be resolved through the Client Manager’s regular framework of Client engagement meetings which includes a formal quarterly performance review.


As far as we know there was no assessment of the effectiveness of the dispute resolution processes at the time of the establishment of the Government Property Agency (GPA). Facilities management contracts were let by other Government Departments using Crown Commercial Services (CCS) framework agreements and then novated to the GPA. These contracts were created using standard CCS contract forms and terms and conditions, including dispute resolution procedures, that were consistent with commercial good practice at that time.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
7th Jul 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has taken steps to facilitate discussions to try to resolve the industrial dispute involving the PCS Union in the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

The GPA has Client Managers in place for the Departments they support. Any disagreements would typically be resolved through the Client Manager’s regular framework of Client engagement meetings which includes a formal quarterly performance review.


As far as we know there was no assessment of the effectiveness of the dispute resolution processes at the time of the establishment of the Government Property Agency (GPA). Facilities management contracts were let by other Government Departments using Crown Commercial Services (CCS) framework agreements and then novated to the GPA. These contracts were created using standard CCS contract forms and terms and conditions, including dispute resolution procedures, that were consistent with commercial good practice at that time.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
5th Jul 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government takes to resolve disagreements between the Government Property Agency (GPA) and Government departments occupying buildings run by the GPA.

The GPA has Client Managers in place for the Departments they support. Any disagreements would typically be resolved through the Client Manager’s regular framework of Client engagement meetings which includes a formal quarterly performance review.


As far as we know there was no assessment of the effectiveness of the dispute resolution processes at the time of the establishment of the Government Property Agency (GPA). Facilities management contracts were let by other Government Departments using Crown Commercial Services (CCS) framework agreements and then novated to the GPA. These contracts were created using standard CCS contract forms and terms and conditions, including dispute resolution procedures, that were consistent with commercial good practice at that time.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
26th May 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much the Government sold its shares in MyCSP for; and what the current value is of MyCSP.

When MyCSP was created as a mutual joint venture in 2012, the Cabinet Office owned 35%, Equiniti 40% and an Employee Benefit Trust 25%.

In 2014, the Cabinet Office sold 11% of MyCSP to Equiniti for £8 million.

In 2018, the Cabinet Office sold its remaining 24% stake to Equiniti for £8 million.

As the Cabinet Office no longer has a stake in MyCSP, we do not have a valuation of it.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
12th May 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the planned scope is of the framework the Crown Commercial Service plans to establish on the provision of outsourced contact centre services, shared services and operational business process services, with publication reference: 2021/S 000-006901.

The Shared Services Strategy for Government was published on 9 March 2021. The Strategy sets the framework for groups of departments to form Shared Service Centres to implement the Strategy. Part of Cabinet Office, Government Business Services is responsible for coordinating delivery of the Strategy.

The Strategy will deliver better, streamlined services and lower costs, to offer better value for money for the taxpayer. Each group of departments forming a Shared Service Centre will develop its own business case for implementing the strategy.

The final specification and all bidding documents for the Outsourced Contact Centre and Business Services (RM6181) framework agreement were published on the government’s Contracts Finder website in April 2021.

It is for Departments to determine their approach to consulting with Civil Service unions. Cabinet Office officials have had two constructive meetings with the National Trade Union Congress since publication of the Strategy, and welcome continuing dialogue.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
12th May 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has under the Shared Services Strategy for Government to externally-tender out existing work done by the Civil Service to private sector bodies.

The Shared Services Strategy for Government was published on 9 March 2021. The Strategy sets the framework for groups of departments to form Shared Service Centres to implement the Strategy. Part of Cabinet Office, Government Business Services is responsible for coordinating delivery of the Strategy.

The Strategy will deliver better, streamlined services and lower costs, to offer better value for money for the taxpayer. Each group of departments forming a Shared Service Centre will develop its own business case for implementing the strategy.

The final specification and all bidding documents for the Outsourced Contact Centre and Business Services (RM6181) framework agreement were published on the government’s Contracts Finder website in April 2021.

It is for Departments to determine their approach to consulting with Civil Service unions. Cabinet Office officials have had two constructive meetings with the National Trade Union Congress since publication of the Strategy, and welcome continuing dialogue.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
12th May 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will outline the Strategic Business Case for implementing the Shared Services Strategy for Government.

The Shared Services Strategy for Government was published on 9 March 2021. The Strategy sets the framework for groups of departments to form Shared Service Centres to implement the Strategy. Part of Cabinet Office, Government Business Services is responsible for coordinating delivery of the Strategy.

The Strategy will deliver better, streamlined services and lower costs, to offer better value for money for the taxpayer. Each group of departments forming a Shared Service Centre will develop its own business case for implementing the strategy.

The final specification and all bidding documents for the Outsourced Contact Centre and Business Services (RM6181) framework agreement were published on the government’s Contracts Finder website in April 2021.

It is for Departments to determine their approach to consulting with Civil Service unions. Cabinet Office officials have had two constructive meetings with the National Trade Union Congress since publication of the Strategy, and welcome continuing dialogue.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
12th May 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to consult Cvil Service unions on the implementation of the Shared Services Strategy for Government.

The Shared Services Strategy for Government was published on 9 March 2021. The Strategy sets the framework for groups of departments to form Shared Service Centres to implement the Strategy. Part of Cabinet Office, Government Business Services is responsible for coordinating delivery of the Strategy.

The Strategy will deliver better, streamlined services and lower costs, to offer better value for money for the taxpayer. Each group of departments forming a Shared Service Centre will develop its own business case for implementing the strategy.

The final specification and all bidding documents for the Outsourced Contact Centre and Business Services (RM6181) framework agreement were published on the government’s Contracts Finder website in April 2021.

It is for Departments to determine their approach to consulting with Civil Service unions. Cabinet Office officials have had two constructive meetings with the National Trade Union Congress since publication of the Strategy, and welcome continuing dialogue.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
6th Jan 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to the Fairness in Government debt management consultation which closed on 21 September 2020.

The government will publish an update regarding the call for evidence in due course and will make further announcements in the usual way.

Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on gov.uk.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
6th Jan 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent meetings on Government debt management (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials of his Department has held with the (i) Local Government Association, (ii) Credit Services Association and (c) Civil Enforcement Association.

The government will publish an update regarding the call for evidence in due course and will make further announcements in the usual way.

Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on gov.uk.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
20th Jul 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the results of the zero based review taking place in different business units in his Department; and whether the Government plans to undertake those reviews in each Department.

As has been the case under successive administrations, ministers routinely review their departments to ensure they are delivering the Government’s agenda in the most effective and efficient way. Significant changes are communicated to the House in the usual way.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
30th Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the policy paper of 9 June 2020 entitled Procurement Policy Note 04/20: Recovery and Transition from COVID-19, what assessment he has made of the (a) potential merits of continuing to provide contractual relief as a result of covid-19 in line with Procurement Policy Notice 02/20, (b)(i) companies and (ii) work areas that will be affected by a change in contractual relief and (c) timetable for those changes.

As the Government moves into the next phase of the response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the supplier relief provisions set out in PPN 02/20 may still be appropriate and contracting authorities have the final decision on whether they deem a supplier at risk and the form of any relief.

PPN 04/20 allows Contracting Authorities to continue paying in full for services if suppliers are deemed at risk.

17th Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether Simon Blagden's role at Fujitsu UK was taken in account as part of the appointment process for his roles at (a) Building Digital UK, (b) UK Health Security Agency and (c) the Trade Advisory Group on telecoms and technology.

For all appointments, a declaration of interests is recorded and due diligence conducted on appointees. These appointments will have been decided on the individual’s experience against the essential criteria for the role.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
17th Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether Simon Blagden's status as a Conservative Party donor was taken into account as part of the appointment process for his roles at (a) Building Digital UK, (b) UK Health Security Agency and (c) the Trade Advisory Group for telecoms and technology.

For all appointments, a declaration of interests is recorded and due diligence conducted on appointees. These appointments will have been decided on the individual’s experience against the essential criteria for the role.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
19th Oct 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she plans to take with Cabinet colleagues to facilitate parliamentary scrutiny of trade deals with the US; and if she will make a statement.

In June the Prime Minister and the President of the United States announced the Atlantic Declaration and accompanying Action Plan to cover the full spectrum of our economic, technological, commercial and trade relations, and to explore further ways to expand our bilateral trade.

Negotiations remain at an early stage and it is not clear what form agreement will take but we remain committed to effective and proportionate scrutiny of our trade negotiations and will ensure Parliament has the information it needs to scrutinise outcomes.

We will continue to update Parliament as our work on US trade develops.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
18th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to her Department's publication entitled UK-Canada Free Trade Agreement: The UK’s Strategic Approach, published 24 March 2022, for what reason does the UK's strategic approach (a) include an ambition to ensure the agreement does not contain an investor-state dispute settlement mechanism and (b) not commit to disapply such a mechanism with Canada as part of the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The UK will not be seeking to negotiate an investor state dispute mechanism (ISDS) in the UK-Canada FTA and will instead seek to consider alternative options for investment dispute resolution that are best suited to the bilateral relationship between the UK and Canada.

In seeking accession to CPTPP, the UK committed to the agreement’s existing standards, including its provisions on investor protections backed by a modern and transparent ISDS mechanism. These features balance the need to protect UK investors accessing and operating in CPTPP markets and ensure that the Government can regulate in the public interest.

Nusrat Ghani
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
18th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department sought a side letter similar to those agreed with the Governments of Australia and New Zealand to disapply investor–state dispute settlement provisions under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership during accession negotiations.

In seeking accession to CPTPP, the UK committed to the existing standards of this agreement, including its provisions on investor protections backed by a modern and transparent investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism. These features balance the need to protect UK investors accessing and operating in CPTPP markets and to ensure that the Government can regulate in the public interest. In light of our investment relationship with Australia and New Zealand, we agreed side letters confirming that it was not necessary to have ISDS provisions between our countries in CPTPP.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
27th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help facilitate research into the (a) causes and (b) treatment of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.

Since 2012, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)’s Medical Research Council (MRC) has awarded £6.2 million for research on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). This includes DecodeME, a significant strategic initiative co-funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research in 2020, which aims to find genetic causes of ME/CFS in order to better understand the disease and ultimately to find treatments.

The Government works with the ME/CFS Priority Setting Partnership to identify research priorities in this area and MRC has an open highlight notice to encourage ME/CFS research.

Andrew Griffith
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
27th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing public funding for research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.

Since 2012, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)’s Medical Research Council (MRC) has awarded £6.2 million for research on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). This includes DecodeME, a significant strategic initiative co-funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research in 2020, which aims to find genetic causes of ME/CFS in order to better understand the disease and ultimately to find treatments.

The Government works with the ME/CFS Priority Setting Partnership to identify research priorities in this area and MRC has an open highlight notice to encourage ME/CFS research.

Andrew Griffith
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
12th Oct 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of reports that Drax has paid more than $3 million in fines related to pollution in the US south, and if he will review Government support for Drax.

US air quality regulatory bodies have established robust processes for ensuring air quality requirements are adhered to. UK Government officials have discussed air quality with US counterparts and continue to liaise with them to ensure the government continues to have the most up-to-date information.

The forthcoming Biomass Strategy will review the amount of sustainable biomass available to the UK and how this resource could be best utilised across the economy to help achieve our net zero greenhouse gas emissions target by 2050 while also supporting the delivery of our wider environmental targets.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
10th Oct 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Panorama report, aired on 3 October, on the environmental and financial cost of shipping wood pellets from North America to be burnt at Drax power station, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of those potential (a) financial and (b) environmental costs.

The UK only supports sustainable biomass use which can deliver genuine greenhouse gas emissions savings compared to fossil materials. The regulator Ofgem is responsible for auditing the sustainability of biomass used by electricity generators which receive support under the Renewables Obligation. Ofgem routinely checks whether the sustainability criteria have been met by generators.

Sustainability information is publicly available on Ofgem’s website, with the latest dataset accessible here: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/biomass-sustainability-dataset-2020-21. The forthcoming Biomass Strategy will set out recommendations for further enhancing the UK’s stringent biomass sustainability criteria.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
11th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish legal advice received in relation to the Liability of Trade Unions in Proceedings in Tort (Increase of Limits on Damages) Order 2022.

The Government does not propose to publish any legal advice received in relation to this Order.

11th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reason he did not carry out a consultation before laying the Liability of Trade Unions in Proceedings in Tort (Increase of Limits on Damages) Order 2022.

This change only increases the limits in line with inflation to match what they would have been had they increased year on year since 1982.

As no other changes to the trade union liabilities for damages regime are being proposed, the Government does not consider that further consultation is necessary.

11th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reason he did not initiate a consultation before laying the draft Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses (Amendment) Regulations 2022.

BEIS did consult. BEIS ran a consultation from 15 July to 9 September 2015 to gather views on what the impact would be of repealing the ban on agency workers. We received 167 substantive responses from a range of stakeholders. In addition to these responses, the TUC also submitted a petition opposing the repeal signed by 25,000 members, 1,500 of whom also made comments.

11th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has asked the Financial Reporting Council to investigate audit firm Ernst & Young in response to the record fine issued by the US Securities and Exchange Commission in June 2022 for cheating on professional education courses to maintain its certified public accountant licensure.

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is an independent regulator and independently decides whether an investigation should be commenced. The recent fine imposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Ernst & Young (EY) in the United States relates to the conduct of EY and its audit professionals in the United States. The FRC is responsible for oversight of the qualification of external auditors in the UK and meets regularly with the SEC and also the Public Company Accounting and Oversight Board in the United States to discuss issues of common interest. The FRC has written to the seven largest UK audit firms about the impact of this issue and has published that letter on the FRC website on 13 July 2022.

11th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many fines have been issued by the Financial Reporting Council for audit failures in each of the past five years for which figures are available.

The Financial Reporting Council has provided the following information on the fines it has imposed:

Financial year in which fines were imposed

Number of fines imposed against audit firms

Number of fines imposed against audit engagement partners at those firms

2017/18

4

4

2018/19

9

14

2019/20

6

6

2020/21

4

4

2021/22

9

9

2022/23 (so far)

0

0

This information reflects that set out in “Recent Enforcement sanctions imposed against Audit firms and Audit partners” published by the Financial Reporting Council, which is updated as and when further cases are concluded and is available at https://www.frc.org.uk/auditors/enforcement-division/enforcement-outcomes.

11th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the announcement made on 30 June 2021 that the Government would remove unabated coal from the UK’s energy mix by 2024, whether that remains the Government's policy; and if he will make a statement.

The Government remains committed to phasing out unabated coal generation by October 2024. The UK has already made excellent progress in reducing coal usage, with coal’s share of our electricity supply falling from 40% in 2012 to less than 2% in 2020.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
11th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what meetings he or his Ministers have held with the Financial Reporting Council since the fines issued in June 2022 to PWC for their audits of Kier and of Galliford.

Ministers have not met with the Financial Reporting Council in response to fines issued in June 2022 to PWC for their audits of Kier and of Galliford.

11th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what meetings he or his Ministers have held with the Securities and Exchange Commission in the US in response to its record fine against audit firm Ernst & Young in June 2022 for cheating on professional education courses to maintain its certified public accountant licensure; and if he will make a statement.

Ministers have not met with the Securities and Exchange Commission in response to its fine against Ernst & Young.

27th Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with (a) employers, (b) employment agencies, and (c) trade unions over plans to remove regulation 7 of the Conduct Regulations 2003.

The Government carried out a consultation on revoking the ban on using agency workers to cover strikes in 2015. The consultation asked what effect the removal would have on a wide variety of stakeholders, including workers, employment businesses, employers, employees on strike and about the impact on wider economy and society. It received a large number of substantive responses from a wide range of stakeholders, including employers, agencies and trade unions which have been carefully considered before deciding to proceed with removing Regulation 7 of the Conduct Regulations 2003.

17th Nov 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the role of medium-sized family businesses in supporting growth as part of the recovery from the covid-19 pandemic.

Family run businesses make a key economic contribution to the UK economy. 77% of SME employers1 were defined as family-owned businesses in 2020 (a 3 percentage point increase on 20192) and they have been estimated to contribute 29 percent of UK GDP3. Over half of medium-sized businesses4 are family-owned (58%)5. Like other businesses they have been able to benefit from the unprecedented package of support that government continues to offer and we expect them to continue to play a key role in the recovery.

1 Businesses with 1-249 employees

2 Longitudinal Small Business Survey – SME employers, 2020 (BEIS)

3 Institute for Family Business Research Foundation, the UK Family Business Sector 2020-21

4 Businesses with 50-249 employees

5Longitudinal Small Business Survey – SME employers, 2020 (BEIS)

17th Sep 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department plans to undertake an investigation into the fire at the National Grid facility in Sellindge, Kent; and if he will make a statement.

The formal investigation into the fire at the Interconnexion France-Angleterre (IFA) interconnector is being led by National Grid Ventures, in their role as joint owner of the facility.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is working closely with National Grid Ventures to support the investigation.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
17th Sep 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish details of the (a) meetings that Ministers in his Department have held with representatives of Ofgem in the last 12 months and (b) primary matter that was discussed at each of those meetings.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have regular meetings with Ofgem senior management.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
17th Sep 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of households in fuel poverty; and what forecast he has made of the number of households in fuel poverty in 2022-23.

The proportion of households classified as living in fuel poverty has fallen from 22.1% in 2010, to 15% in 2018, driven by improvements in the energy performance of homes. There are now 1.3 million fewer low-income households living in the least energy efficient homes (Band E, F or G) compared to 2010.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
7th Jul 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing outsourced workers in his Department into direct employment.

The Department periodically assesses its sourcing strategy, taking into consideration the HMG-published 'The Sourcing Playbook', which provides government guidance on service delivery including outsourcing, insourcing, mixed economy sourcing and contracting.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
5th Jul 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to address concerns around breaches of employment law by his Department's contractor, ISS.

The Department collaborates closely with the Government Property Agency (GPA) which manages the facilities management contract with ISS. With the support of GPA, the Department continuously works with ISS to ensure that its employment practices comply with employment legislation.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
5th Jul 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that contractors working in its buildings adhere to health and safety requirements; and whether his Department has taken enforcement action against contractors in relation to that matter.

Where appropriate, the Department works closely with contractors on health and safety matters, including reviewing health and safety practices, such as risk assessments, reviewing training information and protocols for staff working within the BEIS demise of buildings. The Department would work closely with enforcement agencies where relevant.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
12th Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2021 to Question 166306, on Competition and Markets Authority: Staff, if he will provide the same data for Non-Senior Civil Service performance management outcomes for (a) BAME staff (i) over the age of 55 and (ii) under the age of 24 and (b) female staff working for the Competition and Markets Authority in the 2019-20 performance year.

The CMA is unable to provide requested data for the Non-Senior Civil Service (‘non-SCS’) performance ratings for the 2019 - 2020 performance year for BAME staff over the age of 55 (a, i) and BAME staff under the age of 24 (a, ii) as the CMA does not disclose data for groups with fewer than 5 staff under a given protected characteristic (or combination of protected characteristics) for data protection and privacy reasons. The staff groups in the categories requested have small populations (7 and 12, respectively) which are further broken down to fewer than 5 when considered by each performance rating

The performance management outcomes for female staff for the 2019 - 2020 performance year are set out below. Male staff performance outcomes have been included for completeness. The table sets out the proportion of each performance rating that were awarded to staff of each gender

(b) Female staff

Performance Rating

Female

Male

Consistently Exceeding

47.2%

52.8%

Partially Exceeding

48.9%

51.1%

Consistently Achieving

53.3%

46.7%

Partially Achieving

50.1%

49.9%

Needs to Improve

25.0%

75.0%

Not Required (due to insufficient time in post)

49.9%

50.1%

CMA Non-SCS Profile

50.8%

49.2%

10th Mar 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will place copies of the CMA’s internal reports (a) BAME Performance Ratings Review and (b) Equality Reporting Principles in the Library; and what assessment he has made of the reason for the Senior Civil Service performance management outcomes for BAME staff over the age of 55, and those under the age of 24 and female staff working for the Competition and Markets Authority in the 2019-20 performance year.

The CMA follows the guidance set out by Civil Service HR for the performance management of Senior Civil Servants (SCS).

It comprises individual performance planning and assessment together with personal development. The performance of job holders is assessed by taking account of both ‘what’ they have achieved, and ‘how’ they have achieved it. In the 2019 – 2020 performance year, the CMA had no SCS BAME staff over the age of 55, or under the age of 24. The data relating to the distribution of ratings for male and female members of the SCS is summarised below.

Male

Female

CMA SCS profile

56.6%

43.4%

Performance management outcomes

Top

71.1%

28.9%

Achieved

50.7%

49.3%

Low

66.7%

33.3%

Not required (due to insufficient time in post)

20.0%

80.0%

The BAME Performance Ratings Review was produced to allow a deeper analysis of the reasons and/or factors which could influence the distribution of performance ratings amongst BAME non-SCS staff. This work supports the CMA’s commitment to fully embed a diverse and inclusive culture within the CMA as detailed within the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2020 – 2024, and reinforces the work of the Race Action Plan 2020 – 2021. The Equality Reporting Principles set out the principles used for reporting performance rating distribution and CMA Staff Recognition Scheme outcomes for the purposes of the 2020 – 2021 non-SCS pay negotiation process. The CMA does not publish these documents externally as they were produced for internal purposes.

It is recognised that there are differences in SCS performance management outcomes for men and women. As detailed within the 2019 – 2020 Gender Pay Gap Report the CMA has already made progress in reducing its gender pay gap through a range of initiatives, and this continues to be an area of focus for the CMA.