Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assurances have been provided that there will be no reduction in service to the staff at Erskine House and Carne House in Belfast following Sodexo's decision to reduce the number of cleaning and facilities staff at these sites.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Sodexo are contracted to deliver facilities management services, including cleaning, in Erskine House and Carne House on an output specification basis. This means it is for Sodexo to determine the level of resourcing required to achieve the contracted standards and specifications.
HMRC regularly audits contract performance and meets on a weekly basis to discuss performance against the contracted standards and key performance indicators.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions HMRC is having with Sodexo over the contractor's decision to reduce the number of cleaning and facilities staff at Erskine House and Carne House in Belfast.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Sodexo are contracted to deliver facilities management services, including cleaning, in Erskine House and Carne House on an output specification basis. This means it is for Sodexo to determine the level of resourcing required to achieve the contracted standards and specifications.
HMRC regularly audits contract performance and meets on a weekly basis to discuss performance against the contracted standards and key performance indicators.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to Question 122645 of 23 March 2026, whether she has plans to bring forward legislative proposals to clarify or amend the regulatory boundary between the Financial Conduct Authority and the Gambling Commission for sports spread betting and other non-financial spread betting products.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
As set out in the government’s previous answer on 31 March, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has clarified that non-financial spread betting products are not financial instruments, and that the FCA’s regulatory framework does not account for gambling activity in relation to events which are not connected to financial markets. The Gambling Commission does not licence products whose name, branding or marketing contain language associated with financial products.
The government and parliament are responsible for setting the remits for the FCA and Gambling Commission, including setting out in legislation what types of activities are regulated. The remits of both regulators are detailed and complex, reflecting the diversity and complexity of products available. Responsibility for determining this is a cross-departmental effort.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 31 March 2026 to Question 122645 on Sports: Regulation, and with reference to the FCA Perimeter Report published in March 2026, which regulator Parliament has conferred powers upon for the regulation of sports spread betting and other non-financial spread betting products.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
As set out in the government’s previous answer on 31 March, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has clarified that non-financial spread betting products are not financial instruments, and that the FCA’s regulatory framework does not account for gambling activity in relation to events which are not connected to financial markets. The Gambling Commission does not licence products whose name, branding or marketing contain language associated with financial products.
The government and parliament are responsible for setting the remits for the FCA and Gambling Commission, including setting out in legislation what types of activities are regulated. The remits of both regulators are detailed and complex, reflecting the diversity and complexity of products available. Responsibility for determining this is a cross-departmental effort.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether trade unions will be formal stakeholders in the Disability Confident Reform Delivery Plan.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Disability Confident Reform Delivery Plan (Disability Confident Reform Delivery Plan for December 2025 to December 2026 - GOV.UK) sets out a clear commitment to meaningful stakeholder engagement throughout the reform period, recognising that the scheme’s credibility and impact depend on being shaped with those it affects.
Trade unions are an important part of this engagement landscape. The Reform Delivery Plan makes it clear that reform will be developed collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders, including employee representative organisations, to ensure the scheme is robust, credible and focused on real‑world outcomes for disabled people.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, What her policy is on the use of vessels registered on Flags of Convenience by contractors delivering the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Civil Hydrography Programme.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The MCA’s UK CHP Survey Specification details the Civil Hydrography Programme (CHP)-specific requirements for conducting hydrographic surveys undertaken on behalf of the MCA, in order to deliver UK requirements and services. The Survey Specification is used in conjunction with the relevant Hydrographic Instruction in order to fully detail the requirement of the survey(s).
All vessels employed under the current CHP contracts are UK Flagged, and on the ‘White List’, a list of countries assessed by the International Maritime Organisation as properly implementing the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) 1978 (as amended) Convention.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of seafarers in the UK’s short sea international ferry sector that are paid an hourly wage that is (a) broadly equivalent to or (b) above the National Minimum Wage.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has not made any such estimate. The Seafarers' Wages Act 2023 makes payment of the equivalent of National Minimum Wage a condition of port access for operators of services calling at a UK port at least 120 times a year. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is responsible for enforcement of this legislation and conducts in-person engagement and robust inspection activities with ports and operators to ensure compliance and provide regulatory assurance.
Whilst the Department cannot give exact figures, an impact assessment was published for the Act, which makes some assumptions about the number of seafarers on board different vessel types per journey in order to estimate costs to businesses, but it does not make any estimates of the total number of seafarers that would be paid the National Minimum Wage equivalent (see https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/62e2aa8ed3bf7f75af0923d5/seafarers-wages-impact-assessment.pdf ).
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, With reference to the Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2025 statistics published on 25th February 2025, what assessment she has made of the sources of growth in seafarer employment in the UK shipping industry in 2024-25.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department remains committed to increasing the number of UK resident seafarer ratings. Work includes implementing the recommendations from the Ratings Review, modernising training and considering the findings of the recently published SMarT Review and Seafarer Projections Report.
The increased numbers of seafarers active at sea noted in the Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2025 statistics has been driven primarily by growth among Ratings and Uncertificated Officers. Officials will continue to review where there are opportunities to grow ratings careers.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2025 statistics published on 25 February 2025, what steps she is taking to increase the number of UK resident seafarer Ratings employed in the UK shipping industry.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department remains committed to increasing the number of UK resident seafarer ratings. Work includes implementing the recommendations from the Ratings Review, modernising training and considering the findings of the recently published SMarT Review and Seafarer Projections Report.
The increased numbers of seafarers active at sea noted in the Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2025 statistics has been driven primarily by growth among Ratings and Uncertificated Officers. Officials will continue to review where there are opportunities to grow ratings careers.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussion she has had with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on the enforcement of the National Minimum Wage (Offshore Employment) (Amendment) Order 2020 for seafarers working (a) in UK territorial waters and (b) on vessels working between an offshore oil and gas installation and a UK port.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport maintains regular and ongoing engagement with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) through the Regulatory Compliance Investigations Team regarding the implementation, compliance, and enforcement of legislation relating to seafarer pay. This covers the Seafarers’ Wages Act 2023, the Seafarers’ Wages Regulations 2024, and the National Minimum Wage (Offshore Employment) (Amendment) Order 2020.This engagement has featured recent updates from the MCA to the Department on its enforcement approach and compliance activity undertaken so far, which have informed departmental oversight of how the legislation is being implemented across the sector, and how operators and harbour authorities are responding to their statutory responsibilities. The Department and the MCA also engage on enforcement activity covering seafarers working in UK territorial waters and, where applicable, on vessels operating between offshore oil and gas installations and UK ports. This ensures a consistent and effective enforcement framework across the relevant statutory regimes.
The Department for Business and Trade have recently published the Fair Work Agency Enforcement Policy Statement, confirming that it is responsible for enforcement of the National Minimum Wage, including the National Minimum Wage (Offshore Employment) (Amendment) Order 2020.