Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Stepney)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Minister for Pensions' oral contribution during the Report Stage of the Pension Schemes Bill on 3 December 2025, Official Report, column 1043, whether the proposed statutory guidance on fiduciary duties and subsequent amendments to it will be subject to the negative or affirmative procedure for statutory instruments.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Government has set out its intention to develop statutory guidance for the trust-based private pensions sector. The proposed guidance intends to clarify how trustees can interpret and apply their existing duties, particularly when considering wider or longer-term factors in investment decision-making. Government is developing this guidance in partnership with the pensions sector and will consult on the draft guidance.
Further details including the legislation to underpin strategy guidance will be published in due course.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Stepney)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in relation to the statutory guidance on fiduciary duties announced during Report stage of the Pension Schemes Bill on 3 December 2025, when he intends to table this amendment to the Bill; whether he will consult on the guidance; and when he plans for the guidance to take effect.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Government has set out its intention to develop statutory guidance for the trust-based private pensions sector. The proposed guidance intends to clarify how trustees can interpret and apply their existing duties, particularly when considering wider or longer-term factors in investment decision-making. Government is developing this guidance in partnership with the pensions sector and will consult on the draft guidance.
Further details including the legislation to underpin strategy guidance will be published in due course.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Stepney)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
What assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of ending the universal credit uplift on levels of in-work relative poverty.
Answered by David Rutley
The uplift to Universal Credit was a temporary measure, that is why an assessment has not been completed on its withdrawal.
This Government is wholly committed to supporting those on low incomes, and continues to do so through many measures. We expect to spend over £111 billion on welfare support for people of working age in 2021/22.
Universal Credit recipients in work will soon benefit from a reduction in the Universal Credit taper rate from 63% to 55%, and increasing the work allowance by £500 per year means that 1.9m working households will be able to keep substantially more of what they earn. These changes represent an effective tax cut for low income working households in receipt of UC worth £2.2 billion a year in 2022-23, for the lowest paid in society, and are combined with a rise in the National Living Wage to £9.50 per hour.
We recognise that some people may require extra support over the winter as we enter the final stages of recovery, which is why vulnerable households across the country will now be able to access a new £500 million support fund to help them with essentials. The Household Support Fund will provide £421 million to help vulnerable people in England with the cost of food, utilities and wider essentials. The Barnett Formula will apply in the usual way, with the devolved administrations receiving almost £80 million (£41m for the Scottish Government, £25m for the Welsh Government and £14m for the NI Executive), for a total of £500 million.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Stepney)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on poverty levels of reintroducing universal credit sanctions and conditionality in the next six months.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
New and updated claimant commitments for Universal Credit claimants have been reintroduced from 1 July 2020 in a phased approach and as capacity allows. Only once a new or updated claimant commitment has been agreed, can claimants receive a sanction if they fail to meet those commitments without good reason.
Work Coaches are empowered to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that conditionality is tailored to a claimant’s individual circumstances, that only realistic and reasonable requirements are set, and that they can apply easements and take additional steps to help protect the most vulnerable.