John McDonnell
Independent - Hayes and Harlington
12,031 (31.4%) majority - 2024 General ElectionFirst elected: 1st May 1997
4 APPG Officer Positions (as of 18 Jun 2025)
Airport Communities, Drugs, Alcohol and Justice, Intergenerational Inquiry, Microplastics22 APPG Memberships
Beer, Ireland and the Irish in Britain, Miscarriages of Justice, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Autism, Carers, Defibrillators, Environment, Fair Banking, Further Education and Lifelong Learning, Gaps in Covid-19 Financial Support, Gypsies, Travellers and Roma, Immigration Detention, Investment Fraud and Fairer Financial Services, London, Modernising Employment, Music Education, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), Women affected by the Criminal Justice System, Young Carers and Young Adult Carers, Humanist, Fair Elections18 Former APPG Officer Positions
Carers, Children in Police Custody, Closing the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility, Communities of Inquiry across the Generations, Democracy and Human Rights in the Gulf, Digital Crime, Dyslexia and Other Specific Learning Difficulties, Heathrow and the Wider Economy, Heathrow Expansion and Regional Connectivity, Land Value Capture, No Recourse to Public Funds, Osteoporosis and Bone Health, Parental Participation in Education, Performers' Alliance, Public Accountability, Tamils, Vaccinations for All, Working at HeightDivision Voting information
John McDonnell voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 7 Labour Aye votes vs 361 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 103 Noes - 363
Debates during the 2024 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
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
(16 debate interactions)
(7 debate interactions)
Department Debates
(24 debate contributions)
(16 debate contributions)
(13 debate contributions)
(11 debate contributions)
Legislation Debates
(3,455 words contributed)
(2,595 words contributed)
(1,729 words contributed)
(1,303 words contributed)
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).
of 47,032 signatures (1.18%)
of 25,875 signatures (0.55%)
of 149,320 signatures (0.49%)
of 83,512 signatures (0.27%)
of 117,806 signatures (0.14%)
of 149,320 signatures (0.49%)
of 47,032 signatures (1.18%)
of 423,107 signatures (0.09%)
of 83,512 signatures (0.27%)
of 117,806 signatures (0.14%)
Latest EDMs signed by John McDonnell
UK-based medical charities in Palestine
Tabled by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)That this House expresses its appreciation for those working for UK-based medical charities in Palestine, including Medical Aid for Palestinians, Glia, Doctors Without Borders and the British Red Cross; commends volunteers for these charities, whose Palestine-based staff take huge personal risks to provide medical aid so crucial to a Gazan …
(Most recent: 18 Jul 2025)
Signatures by party:
Liberal Democrat: 31
Labour: 8
Independent: 7
Plaid Cymru: 4
Green Party: 3
Social Democratic & Labour Party: 2
Scottish National Party: 2
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Alliance: 1
Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules
Tabled by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)That the Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules, HC 997, a copy of which was laid before this House on 1 July, be disapproved.
(Most recent: 17 Jul 2025)
Signatures by party:
Scottish National Party: 9
Plaid Cymru: 4
Green Party: 4
Independent: 3
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
1 Adjournment Debate led by John McDonnell
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Tuesday 20th November 2012
10 Bills co-sponsored by John McDonnell
Social Energy Tariff (No. 2) Bill 2023-24
Sponsor - Marion Fellows (SNP)
Mortgages (Switching) Bill 2023-24
Sponsor - Martin Docherty-Hughes (SNP)
Children (Parental Imprisonment) Bill 2023-24
Sponsor - Kerry McCarthy (Lab)
National Eye Health Strategy Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - Marsha De Cordova (Lab)
Import of Dogs Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - Elliot Colburn (Con)
Employee Share Ownership (Reform) Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - George Howarth (Lab)
Bullying and respect at work Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - Rachael Maskell (Ind)
Flexible Working Bill 2021-22
Sponsor - Tulip Siddiq (Lab)
Seals (Protection) Bill 2021-22
Sponsor - Tracey Crouch (Con)
Covid-19 Financial Assistance (Gaps in Support) Bill 2019-21
Sponsor - Tracy Brabin (LAB)
Latest 50 Written Questions
(View all written questions)The Chief Executive of the Government Property Agency will endeavour to prioritise a response to the specific issues highlighted in the next few days, no later than 1 November.
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Pay, T&C of OCS employees is managed by OCS. On all GPA Facilities Management contracts, we have a requirement for the payment of the Real Living Wage and London Living Wage.
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
On 29 July, the Government published the 2024/25 Pay Remit Guidance for the Civil Service on Gov.uk.
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The UK has a range of measures in place to promote responsible business conduct and supports voluntary due diligence approaches taken by UK businesses to identify and prevent human rights abuses across their operations and supply chains, in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. We will continue to assess and monitor the effectiveness of the UK's existing measures, alongside the impacts of new policy tools that are emerging, to ensure we can best promote responsible business practices and take action where appropriate.
Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Insolvency Service’s civil investigation into the circumstances surrounding the redundancies made by P&O Ferries remains ongoing. No further comment or information can be provided at this time.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Chief Executive of the Insolvency Service’s submitted his notice of resignation on 12th February 2025 and his last day will be 12th May 2025. The Department for Business and Trade determined that the conditions for making an application to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments were not met in this case.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Bill will give us the powers we need to make necessary changes to the product regulation framework. Secondary legislation is subject to the Bill receiving Royal Assent and subsequent parliamentary time in passing any secondary legislation. It is too early to commit to a detailed timetable for secondary legislation, but we will continue to work with stakeholders as this develops.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Product Regulation and Metrology Bill will provide Government with enabling powers to update regulations. The main regulations are listed in the recently published Government response to the Product Safety Review.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards runs a national programme to reduce the risk of non-compliant products sold online. Through monitoring and evaluating marketplaces, including purchasing and testing products, we assess the prevalence of unsafe toys and take appropriate enforcement action.
While UK regulations are clear that toys must be safe, the Bill will enable regulations to be updated to better reflect modern supply chains, including online marketplaces.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Product Regulation and Metrology Bill will provide Government with enabling powers to introduce new requirements on online marketplaces. The Office for Product Safety and Standards and local authorities already carry out a range of regulatory actions to reduce the risk of unsafe products being sold online.
Government will consider any changes to resourcing requirements for OPSS within the Spending Review and departmental business planning processes. Local authority budgets are set by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and allocated by local authorities according to their priorities.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Capacity already exists to enforce the provisions proposed in the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill in both the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) and in local authorities. Government will consider any changes to resourcing requirements for OPSS within the Spending Review and departmental business planning processes. Local authority budgets are set by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and allocated by local authorities according to their priorities.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
A statistical publication estimating the rate of fuel poverty for those in receipt of Winter Fuel Payment in 2023, and the proportion of households who would be in fuel poverty under new eligibility criteria, will be published in due course.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
4 Department for Science, Innovation & Technology Questions
(View all John McDonnell's DSIT questions)DSIT has allocated £13.9 billion to the R&D budget for the 2025/26 financial year. Below are UK Research and Innovation's Natural Environment Research Council budget allocations over the past five financial years for the British Antarctic Survey (including the Antarctic Logistics and Infrastructure (ALI) Partition, which is a ringfenced slice of the science budget to support the UK presence in Antarctica); and the National Oceanography Centre:
| £ | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
| British Antarctic Survey | 80,357,000.000 | 96,960,602.940 | 101,985,482.620 | 102,245,360.580 | 118,574,122.818 |
| of which relates Antarctic Logistics and Infrastructure Partition | 65,731,000 | 82,631,00 | 89,905,620 | 83,397,732 | 94,307,687 |
| National Oceanography Centre | 63,105,666 | 43,202,228 | 45,351,605 | 53,420,185 | 54,245,697 |
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The European Marine Energy Centre has not been allocated any funding from UK Research and Innovation’s Natural Environment Research Council to date.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The allocation of UKRI funding to the Natural Environment Research Council was published in the following reports:
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The allocation of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding to the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) was published in DSIT research and development (R&D) allocations for 2025/2026.
NERC funding for the British Antarctic Survey and the National Oceanography Centre is currently being finalised as part of UKRI’s own allocations process.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
5 Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Questions
(View all John McDonnell's DCMS questions)No, ministers have not had any such discussions with the BFI. Staffing decisions within the BFI are operational matters for the organisation, which is responsible for ensuring its compliance with relevant equality legislation and its own equality, diversity and inclusion commitments. Likewise, matters relating to audience engagement and programming are the responsibility of the BFI.
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
No, ministers have not had any such discussions with the BFI. Staffing decisions within the BFI are operational matters for the organisation, which is responsible for ensuring its compliance with relevant equality legislation and its own equality, diversity and inclusion commitments. Likewise, matters relating to audience engagement and programming are the responsibility of the BFI.
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
No, ministers have not had any such discussions with the BFI. Staffing decisions within the BFI are operational matters for the organisation, which is responsible for ensuring its compliance with relevant equality legislation and its own equality, diversity and inclusion commitments. Likewise, matters relating to audience engagement and programming are the responsibility of the BFI.
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
No, ministers have not had any such discussions with the BFI. Staffing decisions within the BFI are operational matters for the organisation, which is responsible for ensuring its compliance with relevant equality legislation and its own equality, diversity and inclusion commitments. Likewise, matters relating to audience engagement and programming are the responsibility of the BFI.
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The ‘Pathways to Work’ green paper, published in March 2025, sets out plans and proposals to reform health and disability benefits and employment support. The reforms will ensure the most vulnerable and severely disabled people are protected while ensuring everyone who can work receives the active support they need. This includes an extra £1 billion for personalised health, skills and employment support for sick and disabled people. The department knows that good work brings higher incomes, dignity and can significantly reduce the chances of falling into poverty.
The reforms to disability benefit were part of a wider range of reforms, and so the specific impact on school readiness has not been assessed.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
6 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Questions
(View all John McDonnell's Defra questions)A response to the Public and Commercial Services Union was sent on 3 February 2025. I apologise for the delay in responding. Defra officials will discuss the implementation of the new framework with the relevant unions.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A response to the Public and Commercial Services Union was sent on 3 February 2025. I apologise for the delay in responding. Defra officials will discuss the implementation of the new framework with the relevant unions.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Navigation authorities are responsible for operational matters on their waterways, and that boaters using navigable waterways are required to comply with the terms of their licences for the benefit of all waterway users. The Canal and River Trust has provided assurances that appropriate enforcement action on its waterways is only used as a last resort in response to persistent non-compliance, to ensure fairness to all boaters. Those with children who choose to live on a boat without a permanent mooring are responsible for ensuring they have access to education; the Trust provides reasonable adjustments for anyone who qualifies under the Equalities & Human Rights Act.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra officials meet regularly with Canal and River Trust senior management to discuss a range of issues. The Trust has recently announced the formation of an independent Commission to review the legal framework around boat licensing so that it reflects the changes in use of the network over the past 30 years, within which potential legislative reforms and/or operational changes to the Trust’s boat licensing activities may be considered. The review will take place in 2025 and will inform any decision by the Trust to pursue a potential Order under the Transport and Works Act 1992.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
All navigation authorities in England and Wales are responsible for operational matters on their waterways, including setting fees and charges for those using them and the use of corresponding enforcement powers, under the relevant statutory provisions. The Government does not have a role in that but recognises that boaters using navigable waterways require a valid licence from the relevant navigation authority and are expected to comply with the terms of their licences for the benefit of all waterway users. The Government is assured that appropriate enforcement action is only used as a last resort in response to persistent non-compliance, to ensure fairness to all boaters who do comply. We also understand that the Canal and River Trust provides a variety of support routes to boaters experiencing difficulties with licence fees or compliance with navigation requirements.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Taxis and private hire vehicles are an important mode of transport for many people. They are disproportionately used by disabled people, allow many children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to access education and provide transport at night when other modes may be less available. The Department for Transport is considering all options to improve the regulation of the taxi and private hire vehicle sector to provide the best overall outcomes for passenger safety and the sector. The administration of the taxi and private hire vehicle licensing regime in London is a matter for the Mayor of London.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government has invited proposals for a third runway at Heathrow to be brought forward by the summer. Once proposals have been received, the government will review the Airports National Policy Statement, which provides the basis for decision making on granting development consent for a new runway at Heathrow.
The government has been clear that any airport expansion proposals need to demonstrate that they contribute to economic growth, can be delivered in line with the UK’s legally binding commitments on carbon and meet strict environmental requirements on air quality and noise pollution.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government has invited proposals for a third runway at Heathrow to be brought forward by the summer. Once proposals have been received, the government will review the Airports National Policy Statement, which provides the basis for decision making on granting development consent for a new runway at Heathrow.
The government has been clear that any airport expansion proposals need to demonstrate that they contribute to economic growth, can be delivered in line with the UK’s legally binding commitments on carbon and meet strict environmental requirements on air quality and noise pollution.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government has invited proposals for a third runway at Heathrow to be brought forward by the summer. Once proposals have been received, the government will review the Airports National Policy Statement, which provides the basis for decision making on granting development consent for a new runway at Heathrow.
The government has been clear that any airport expansion proposals need to demonstrate that they contribute to economic growth, can be delivered in line with the UK’s legally binding commitments on carbon and meet strict environmental requirements on air quality and noise pollution.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government has invited proposals for a third runway at Heathrow to be brought forward by the summer. Once proposals have been received, the government will review the Airports National Policy Statement, which provides the basis for decision making on granting development consent for a new runway at Heathrow.
The government has been clear that any airport expansion proposals need to demonstrate that they contribute to economic growth, can be delivered in line with the UK’s legally binding commitments on carbon and meet strict environmental requirements on air quality and noise pollution.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Any changes to Ticket Office opening hours, in relation to regulated stations covered by Schedule 17 of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, must be made following the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement conditions and Secretary of State guidance. The Secretary of State has not had any recent discussions with Great Western Railway on changes related to Ticket Offices at any of its stations.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Any changes to Ticket Office opening hours, in relation to regulated stations covered by Schedule 17 of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, must be made following the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement conditions and Secretary of State guidance. The Secretary of State has not had any recent discussions with Great Western Railway on changes related to Ticket Offices at any of its stations.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Any changes to Ticket Office opening hours, in relation to regulated stations covered by Schedule 17 of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, must be made following the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement conditions and Secretary of State guidance. The Secretary of State has not had any recent discussions with Great Western Railway on changes related to Ticket Offices at any of its stations.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department’s response to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s Investigation into Women’s State Pension age communications and associated issues, was published on the 17 December 2024 and is available here:
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Alongside Spring Statement 2025, the Department published an Impact Assessment which assessed the impact of the changes to be made to PIP as part of the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper reforms.
A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
Changes to PIP will only apply at the next award review after November 2026. The average award review period is about three years. At the award review, claimants will be considered by a trained assessor or healthcare professional and assessed on individual needs and circumstances. We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including ensuring health and care needs are met.
After taking into account behavioural changes, the OBR predicts that 9 in 10 of those receiving the PIP daily living component at the point that any changes come into effect will still be receiving PIP by the end of the decade.
We have also announced a wider review of the PIP assessment to make it fair and fit for purpose, which I will lead. We are bringing together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this. We will provide further details as plans progress.
Even with these reforms, the overall number of people on PIP and DLA is expected to rise by 750,000 by the end of this parliament and spending will rise from £23bn in 24/25 to £31bn in 29/30.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are holding a series of face to face and virtual public consultation events across the country in relation to the Pathways to Work Green Paper, to help us hear from people directly. Details of the events are advertised online and can be found at Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper - GOV.UK. These events are held at venues undergoing stringent health, safety, and risk assessment to ensure their suitability for DWP staff and members of the public attending these events.
The consultation will run until 30 June 2025 and members of the public are welcome to share their feedback on the proposals in the consultation in writing, online and via email, in addition to in person or virtually at these ticketed events. We have conducted five in person and three virtual events to date, which approximately 130 participants have joined. The consultation events have facilitated group discussions which will feed into the consultation response analysis. A full list of upcoming events can be found on gov.uk.
We hope a wide range of voices will respond to the consultation and we welcome all views, including those of carers, who provide invaluable support to elderly or disabled people. Carers have also attended our events.
In addition to the Green Paper consultation and the accompanying events, we are continuing to facilitate other ways to involve people in our reforms, especially disabled people and their representatives. This includes through the PIP assessment review that I am leading, the Disability Advisory Panel we announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper, and our ‘collaboration committees’ which will bring groups, including disabled people and other experts, together for specific work areas.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are holding a series of face to face and virtual public consultation events across the country in relation to the Pathways to Work Green Paper, to help us hear from people directly. Details of the events are advertised online and can be found at Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper - GOV.UK. These events are held at venues undergoing stringent health, safety, and risk assessment to ensure their suitability for DWP staff and members of the public attending these events.
The consultation will run until 30 June 2025 and members of the public are welcome to share their feedback on the proposals in the consultation in writing, online and via email, in addition to in person or virtually at these ticketed events. We have conducted five in person and three virtual events to date, which approximately 130 participants have joined. The consultation events have facilitated group discussions which will feed into the consultation response analysis. A full list of upcoming events can be found on gov.uk.
We hope a wide range of voices will respond to the consultation and we welcome all views, including those of carers, who provide invaluable support to elderly or disabled people. Carers have also attended our events.
In addition to the Green Paper consultation and the accompanying events, we are continuing to facilitate other ways to involve people in our reforms, especially disabled people and their representatives. This includes through the PIP assessment review that I am leading, the Disability Advisory Panel we announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper, and our ‘collaboration committees’ which will bring groups, including disabled people and other experts, together for specific work areas.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are holding a series of face to face and virtual public consultation events across the country in relation to the Pathways to Work Green Paper, to help us hear from people directly. Details of the events are advertised online and can be found at Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper - GOV.UK. These events are held at venues undergoing stringent health, safety, and risk assessment to ensure their suitability for DWP staff and members of the public attending these events.
The consultation will run until 30 June 2025 and members of the public are welcome to share their feedback on the proposals in the consultation in writing, online and via email, in addition to in person or virtually at these ticketed events. We have conducted five in person and three virtual events to date, which approximately 130 participants have joined. The consultation events have facilitated group discussions which will feed into the consultation response analysis. A full list of upcoming events can be found on gov.uk.
We hope a wide range of voices will respond to the consultation and we welcome all views, including those of carers, who provide invaluable support to elderly or disabled people. Carers have also attended our events.
In addition to the Green Paper consultation and the accompanying events, we are continuing to facilitate other ways to involve people in our reforms, especially disabled people and their representatives. This includes through the PIP assessment review that I am leading, the Disability Advisory Panel we announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper, and our ‘collaboration committees’ which will bring groups, including disabled people and other experts, together for specific work areas.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This Government has already started to bring about change to address health-related economic inactivity. We are injecting almost £26 billion of extra funding next year to get the health and social care system back on its feet and bring down waiting lists.
The Pathways to Work Green Paper set out our plans to reform the health and disability and employment support system. As we bring forward changes, we will ensure that the most vulnerable and severely disabled people everywhere are protected, so that they can live with dignity and security.
For those affected by the changes to PIP eligibility, we are consulting on how best to support this group, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met. For new claimants on the Universal Credit health element after April 2026, we are proposing that those with the most severe, life-long health conditions, who will never be able to work, will see their incomes protected.
As we develop detailed proposals for change, we will continue to consider the potential impacts of reforms.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP has already taken steps to help ensure everyone living with health conditions or a disability is aware of benefits that they can claim, including Personal Independence Payment (PIP). There are no current plans to undertake further activity.
Comprehensive information is available on Gov.uk, which explains who PIP is for and how to claim. This includes a series of videos which provide information on PIP which helps people to understand whether PIP is right for them and to support them through the process if they decide to claim. Personal Independence Payment (PIP): What PIP is for - GOV.UK
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We want to be more open about the work taken forward within the department. We will continue to look at what information can be shared to further increase transparency, taking into consideration constraints that we can’t ignore, such as protecting personal customer information, and policy development and other risks.
A great example of increasing transparency can be seen with the work the department is taking forward to continue building on the information it started publishing in its Annual Report and Accounts two years ago. Detailing the work of its Advanced Customer Support Teams, and the support for vulnerable customers.
To further increase transparency in this area we will soon be releasing two separate publications. One publication will see us release Internal Process Review information for the first time, showing the learning and improvements taken forward from the departments most serious cases. The second is a publication that highlights and explains how DWP, specifically through its Advanced Customer Support teams, is delivering support for vulnerable customers and the improvements that were delivered to help those who require additional support.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
In the interim findings report of our Work Aspirations research, 62% of ESA/UC customers with no work-related activity requirements, and 36% with work-related activity requirements, felt they would never be able to work or work again. 28% of ESA/UC customers with no work-related activity requirements, and 38% with work-related activity requirements, felt they might be able to work in future if their health improved. 3% of ESA/UC customers with no work-related activity requirements, and 8% with work-related activity requirements, felt they could work right away if the right job or support was available.
The Work Capability Assessment is not working and needs to be reformed or replaced alongside a proper plan to help disabled people into work, which will help them, businesses and the economy.
We know that change is desperately needed but equally these sorts of changes shouldn’t be made in haste. So, alongside our Get Britain Working White Paper, we want to engage with disabled people, and others with expertise and experience on these issues, to consider how to address these challenges and build a better system.
We will reconsult on the WCA changes as part of our Green Paper in spring 2025 that will bring forward wider proposals to reform the health and disability benefits system.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Courts have found the previous government failed to explain their proposals adequately. We felt, on balance that the consultation that was under challenge had provided people with sufficient information and time to respond intelligently to the proposals. However, we have accepted the judgment and do not intend to appeal.
As part of wider reforms that help people into work and ensure fiscal sustainability, the government will re-consult on WCA descriptor changes, addressing the shortcomings in the previous consultation, in light of the judgment. The government intends to deliver the full level of savings in the public finance forecasts.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Judgment was handed down in the Work Capability Assessment (WCA): Activities and Descriptors consultation Judicial Review on 16 January 2025.
DWP’s litigation costs between 1 November 2023 and 21 January 2025 were £211,345.42.
DWP has been ordered to pay the Claimant’s reasonable costs of the claim. The DWP will endeavour to agree those reasonable costs with the Claimant following the standard legal process where necessary. The DWP has been ordered to pay £254,458.63 as a payment on account of the Claimant’s costs representing 60% of an estimate of the costs she has incurred in bringing this claim.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)