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, why income that was disregarded under Employment Support Allowance is now being considered as income on Universal Credit for Council Tax and Social Care purposes.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Universal Credit does not replicate previous legacy benefits. Therefore, customers migrating to Universal Credit may be subject to different rules, including different treatment of income and how it is disregarded in assessing their benefit entitlement.
Treatment of income and income-related benefits for purpose of council tax reduction or adult social care charges is not set by the Department, this is set respectively by local authorities and the Department for Health and Social Care.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of funding that her Department provides to the British Library, in the context of its industrial dispute with the Public and Commercial Services Union.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
As an arms-length body of the department, the British Library’s funding is considered in the round as part of Spending Review arrangements and departmental business planning.
The British Library is operationally independent of government and the day to day management of the Library - including staff pay - is a matter for organisation to determine. DCMS is aware negotiations are taking place on this dispute and hopes for a speedy response.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to ensure that planned reforms to the Local Government Pension Scheme are compliant with not aiding or assisting serious breaches of international law.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local Government Pension Scheme administering authorities set the investment strategies for their funds, and must include how social, environmental and corporate governance and responsible investment considerations are taken into account. Authorities must have regard to their fiduciary duty to scheme members and employers when setting their investment strategy and must follow relevant legislation and guidance.
Administering authorities are legally required to comply with UK sanctions, including restrictions on dealings with designated individuals, entities, and countries.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department provides to local authorities administering Local Government Pension Scheme funds to assist them in ensuring their investments are compliant with the UK’s duty not to aid or assist serious breaches of international law.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local Government Pension Scheme administering authorities set the investment strategies for their funds, and must include how social, environmental and corporate governance and responsible investment considerations are taken into account. Authorities must have regard to their fiduciary duty to scheme members and employers when setting their investment strategy and must follow relevant legislation and guidance.
Administering authorities are legally required to comply with UK sanctions, including restrictions on dealings with designated individuals, entities, and countries.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department provides guidance to local authorities administering Local Government Pension Scheme on ensuring their investments are compliant with the UK’s duty (a) not to aid and (b) assist serious breaches of international law.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local Government Pension Scheme administering authorities set the investment strategies for their funds, and must include how social, environmental and corporate governance and responsible investment considerations are taken into account. Authorities must have regard to their fiduciary duty to scheme members and employers when setting their investment strategy and must follow relevant legislation and guidance.
Administering authorities are legally required to comply with UK sanctions, including restrictions on dealings with designated individuals, entities, and countries.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he is taking steps to ensure that Local Government Pension Scheme investments are compliant with the UK’s duty (a) not to aid and (b) assist serious breaches of international law.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local Government Pension Scheme administering authorities set the investment strategies for their funds, and must include how social, environmental and corporate governance and responsible investment considerations are taken into account. Authorities must have regard to their fiduciary duty to scheme members and employers when setting their investment strategy and must follow relevant legislation and guidance.
Administering authorities are legally required to comply with UK sanctions, including restrictions on dealings with designated individuals, entities, and countries.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had with HM Treasury on increasing the grant-in-aid funding available to (a) cultural institutions, (b) museums and (c) galleries.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Secretary of State has had constructive conversations with HM Treasury to secure grant-in-aid funding for our institutions.
These successful conversations were borne out in February 2025, when we announced a £270m Arts Everywhere Investment package that included a 5% increase to the budgets of all national museums and galleries to support their financial resilience.
And as per our most recent Spending Review settlement announced in June 2025, there is significant planned funding for the UK’s world-leading culture and heritage sector. We will be investing in celebrated institutions including national museums and galleries, as well as organisations like Arts Council England, which support local projects across the country and ensure that the best of British culture is accessible to all.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his Department’s planned timeline is for responding to the Local Government Pension Scheme Advisory Board's letter, dated 13 October 2025, requesting guidance on investments accused of being complicit in violations of international law.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department has received the Local Government Pension Scheme Advisory Board's letter and will treat it in line with the Government’s usual approach to correspondence.
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, with reference disabled people migrating to Universal Credit from Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), for what reason income that was disregarded for the purposes of ESA is considered to be income for the purposes of Universal Credit.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Universal Credit was not designed to replicate previous legacy benefits. Therefore, customers migrating to Universal Credit may be subject to different rules, including different treatment of income and how it is disregarded in assessing their benefit entitlement.
Those moving from Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA(IR)) through the managed migration process will be assessed for Transitional Protection. Where benefit entitlement on claiming Universal Credit is lower than previous entitlement to ESA(IR), a Transitional Protection element will be applied. This element is determined prior to the application of any deductions. This ensures customers do not experience a reduction in their overall entitlement at the point of migration. However, the calculation does not replicate all legacy benefit rules, so previous disregards such as the permitted earnings disregard in ESA(IR), will not be applied on claiming Universal Credit.
Instead, customers who have limited capability for work qualify for a work allowance – the amount they can earn before the UC award starts to be reduced. The current monthly work allowances are:
Beyond the work allowance, we apply a single taper rate of 55% to net earnings. This means that for every £1 earned, customers keep 45p, helping them see a clear financial benefit from working.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 83230 on Skilled Workers: Visas, what estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of the changes to income thresholds in the Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules, HC 997, published on 1 July 2025, on the number of people employed on Skilled Worker Visas in the transport sector who no longer have leave to remain.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has not produced a formal estimate of the number of individuals across the transport sector who may no longer have leave to remain as a result of the changes introduced in the Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules (HC 997) on 1 July 2025.
The changes to income thresholds only affect those in the Skilled Worker route when they next make an application to change employment, extend their stay, or settle. Until this happens, those who have been in the route since before 4 April 2024 continue to be subject to lower overall salary requirements.
The Department is working with the transport sector and the Migration Advisory Committee to consider if any transport jobs should be included on the temporary shortage list.