Written questions by McDonald.

What assessment her Department has made of the level of confidence of workforce unions in the School Teachers Pay Review Body process.

Pay for teachers and leaders in maintained schools is set through an annual statutory process with independent recommendations made by the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB).In making recommendations, the STRB consider a range of written and oral evidence from statutory consultees, including the department, employer representatives and unions. This year, that process has resulted in the government accepting the STRB‘s recommendation for a 4% pay award for teachers and leaders in maintained schools.Combined with last year’s 5.5% award, this above-inflation pay award means school teachers will see an increase in their pay of almost 10% over two years.The department has also brought in changes to encourage flexible working and to more fairly reward part-time teachers for taking on additional responsibilities.Unions continue to engage positively with, and make valuable contributions towards, the pay round process. Unions involved with the process (including NEU, NASUWT, Community, NAHT, and ASCL) have published statements in response to the announcement, which are available on their websites.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing regularised direct pay negotiations with workforce trades unions on (a) recruitment and (b) retention.

Pay for teachers and leaders in maintained schools is set through an annual statutory process with independent recommendations made by the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB).In making recommendations, the STRB consider a range of written and oral evidence from statutory consultees, including the department, employer representatives and unions. This year, that process has resulted in the government accepting the STRB‘s recommendation for a 4% pay award for teachers and leaders in maintained schools.Combined with last year’s 5.5% award, this above-inflation pay award means school teachers will see an increase in their pay of almost 10% over two years.The department has also brought in changes to encourage flexible working and to more fairly reward part-time teachers for taking on additional responsibilities.Unions continue to engage positively with, and make valuable contributions towards, the pay round process. Unions involved with the process (including NEU, NASUWT, Community, NAHT, and ASCL) have published statements in response to the announcement, which are available on their websites.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of establishing a national energy contract for the school sector.

The department has assessed the potential benefits of establishing a national energy contract for the schools sector. We did this because many schools had been impacted when the war in Ukraine pushed prices to an all-time high in September 2022. Many had energy contracts due to be renewed at the time and ended up locked into long-term, fixed price contracts at peak prices. We recognised this would seriously impact future budgets.The department undertook research to understand the energy options available to schools, the challenges and complexities faced and how we could help.The research showed schools experienced difficulty in determining whether they had received a good deal, relying on brokers to get a better rate from energy providers than they could directly and frequently being expected to make quick decisions on energy deal proposals. Furthermore, the volatility of energy prices meant schools were often locked into expensive energy contracts which were hard to exit.The three key objectives of the pilot were to simplify the buying of energy, reduce risk, and secure best value for schools.During the pilot, the department identified if those benchmarked had used Crown Commercial Service’s V30 energy contract, mandated for central government, they would have saved an average of 36% on energy costs. This contract is flexibly priced, rather than fixed: some of the energy is bought up front, during the 30 months prior to delivery and also during the delivery period itself. This helps level out the peaks and troughs in market price variances.The service also offers wrap around contract management and simplifies the energy buying process for schools, reducing administrative and time burdens.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a cap on chief executive pay in the school sector.

The department sets out our expectations on senior pay for academies and academy trusts in the Academy Trust Handbook, which is published on GOV.UK here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66a3909aab418ab055592dda/Academy_trust_handbook_2024_FINAL.pdf.The handbook requires that:An academy trust’s board of trustees ensures its decisions, when setting levels of executive pay (including salary and any other benefits), follow a robust evidence-based process.Academy trusts’ decisions on pay must be a reasonable and defensible reflection of the individual’s role and responsibilities.No individual can be involved in deciding their remuneration.Academy trusts must be transparent on pay and publish the number of employees whose benefits exceed £100,000 on their websites in £10,000 bandings. Where employees are also trustees, this information must be disclosed in £5,000 bandings.In addition, the department’s ‘Setting executive salaries’ guidance published on GOV.UK outlines the key contextual factors that trusts should be considering when setting or reviewing executive salaries. The guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/setting-executive-salaries-guidance-for-academy-trusts/setting-executive-salaries-guidance-for-academy-trusts.

Whether the employment support package in the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, takes into account her Department's Additional Work Coach Support Impact Evaluation.

We announced in the Pathways to Work Green Paper that we would establish a new guarantee of work, health and skills support for all disabled people and people with health conditions claiming out of work benefits backed up by £1 billion of new funding per year by the end of the decade.The Department has extensive evidence on what works and this will inform the design of our new Pathways to Work support guarantee. This includes evidence from our Additional Work Coach Support offer. When we offered Additional Work Coach Support to people in the limited capability for work and work related activity group (LCWRA) in UC, those who took part were a third more likely to be in work 12 months later. They were also twice as likely to take up more intensive externally delivered support.We will also consider evidence from a wide range of other initiatives, for example Work Choice, a specialist employment programme for disabled people and those with health conditions, that showed people receiving tailored support were 40% more likely to be in work eight years later.We will be developing more detailed assessments of the potential impacts of the employment measures proposed in the Green Paper as these are developed in detail. The Office for Budget Responsibility has also stated that it intends to assess the labour supply impacts of the Green Paper measures in their Autumn forecast.As the Green Paper notes, we are also keen to engage widely on the design of this guarantee and the components needed to deliver it. To get this right, we will be seeking input from a wide range of stakeholders including devolved governments, local health systems, local government and Mayoral Strategic Authorities, private and voluntary sector providers, employers and potential users. We will confirm further details in due course after we have completed our consultation process.

What estimate her Department has made of the funding required for employment support to increase employment income in line with changes to welfare payments set out in the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025.

The government has announced an additional £1.9 billion in funding for employment-related support between 2026/27 and 2029/30, for disabled people and those with health conditions. This will ensure that support is available from next year as benefit changes come in, and can be offered to anyone affected by those changes. The Office for Budget Responsibility has stated that it intends to assess the labour supply impacts of the Green Paper measures in its Autumn forecasts, and we will develop more detailed analysis in due course to inform those estimates.

Whether the employment support package in the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, will create improved employment outcomes in line with her Department's Additional Work Coach Support Impact Evaluation.

We announced in the Pathways to Work Green Paper that we would establish a new guarantee of work, health and skills support for all disabled people and people with health conditions claiming out of work benefits backed up by new money every year, building to £1 billion per year by 2030.The Department has extensive evidence on what works and this will inform the design of our new Pathways to Work support guarantee. This includes evidence from our Additional Work Coach Support offer. When we offered Additional Work Coach Support to people in the limited capability for work and work related activity group (LCWRA) in UC, those who took part were a third more likely to be in work 12 months later. They were also twice as likely to take up more intensive externally delivered support.We are considering evidence from a wide range of other initiatives, for example Work Choice, a specialist employment programme for disabled people and those with health conditions, that showed people receiving tailored support were 40% more likely to be in work eight years later.We will be developing more detailed assessments of the potential impacts of the employment measures proposed in the Green Paper as these are developed in detail. The Office for Budget Responsibility has also stated that it intends to assess the labour supply impacts of the Green Paper measures in their Autumn forecast.As the Green Paper notes, we are also keen to engage widely on the design of this guarantee and the components needed to deliver it. To get this right, we will be seeking input from a wide range of stakeholders including devolved governments, local health systems, local government and Mayoral Strategic Authorities, private and voluntary sector providers, employers and potential users. We will confirm further details in due course after we have completed our consultation process.This is on top of existing programmes already supporting disabled people and people with health conditions into work.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of supporting recognition of the State of Palestine at the UN General Assembly’s High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution and its implications for securing a ceasefire in Gaza.

A long-lasting ceasefire is the only credible pathway towards a sustainable peace, a two-state solution and the reconstruction of Gaza. The UK commitment to a two-state solution is unwavering.  We are committed to recognising a Palestinian state at a time that has the most impact in achieving this reality and is most conducive to long-term prospects for peace. We are clear that does not need to be at the end of a process. UK bilateral recognition is the single most important action the UK can take with regard to Palestinian statehood. That is why it is important to get the timing right so that it creates genuine momentum and is not simply a symbolic gesture. We are continuing to engage all partners on advancing a two-state solution and supporting the foundations of Palestinian statehood.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 19626 on Public Sector: Collective Bargaining, what steps plans to take to help increase confidence in the public sector pay review body process.

Pay for most public sector workforces is set based upon recommendations produced by respective independent Pay Review Bodies (PRBs). The PRBs consider a range of evidence when forming their recommendations, including the need to recruit, retain and motivate suitably able and qualified people; the financial circumstances of Government; the Government's policies for improving public services; and the Government's inflation target. The last government neglected public sector pay for 14 years, leaving public services unable to recruit and keep the staff they need. That is why going forward, we want to make sure our public services can attract and keep the talent they need, as to ensure that those services provide a firm foundation for economic growth. As part of achieving this, every 2025/26 pay award announced by the Government to date is above forecast inflation over the 2025/26 pay year, delivering another real-terms pay rise on top of the one the Government provided for 2024/25. Furthermore, this Government remains committed to the independent Pay Review Body process as the established mechanism for determining pay uplifts for most public sector workers. It has operated for over four decades, provides independent advice and is a neutral process in which all parties play a role; which the unions campaigned to establish in the first place. However, we recognise that faith in the Pay Review Body process had fallen in recent years, and so we are committed to bringing pay awards earlier in the pay year. That is why this Government announced pay awards for many workforces over two months earlier than last year. Additionally, we will be remitting PRBs for the next pay round shortly to put an end to pay awards being delivered late, ensuring that our valued public sector workers receive pay awards closer to the start of the pay year.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of implementing a long-term strategy to improve public sector pay in real terms.

Pay for most public sector workforces is set based upon recommendations produced by respective independent Pay Review Bodies (PRBs). The PRBs consider a range of evidence when forming their recommendations, including the need to recruit, retain and motivate suitably able and qualified people; the financial circumstances of Government; the Government's policies for improving public services; and the Government's inflation target. The last government neglected public sector pay for 14 years, leaving public services unable to recruit and keep the staff they need. That is why going forward, we want to make sure our public services can attract and keep the talent they need, as to ensure that those services provide a firm foundation for economic growth. As part of achieving this, every 2025/26 pay award announced by the Government to date is above forecast inflation over the 2025/26 pay year, delivering another real-terms pay rise on top of the one the Government provided for 2024/25. Furthermore, this Government remains committed to the independent Pay Review Body process as the established mechanism for determining pay uplifts for most public sector workers. It has operated for over four decades, provides independent advice and is a neutral process in which all parties play a role; which the unions campaigned to establish in the first place. However, we recognise that faith in the Pay Review Body process had fallen in recent years, and so we are committed to bringing pay awards earlier in the pay year. That is why this Government announced pay awards for many workforces over two months earlier than last year. Additionally, we will be remitting PRBs for the next pay round shortly to put an end to pay awards being delivered late, ensuring that our valued public sector workers receive pay awards closer to the start of the pay year.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the employment support package set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper on employment outcomes of (a) disabled people and (b) people with health conditions.

The government has announced an additional £1.9 billion in funding for employment-related support between 2026/27 and 2029/30, for disabled people and those with health conditions. This will ensure that support is available from next year as benefit changes come in, and can be offered to anyone affected by those changes. This support will be based on existing evidence of what works and comes on top of redeploying one thousand wok coaches helping sixty five thousand find jobs, Connect to Work helping one hundred thousand, and Work Well helping fifty six thousand.

Whether she plans to establish a target for increased employment outcomes from the employment support package set out in the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025.

The government has set a long-term ambition to achieve an 80% employment rate, which would be the equivalent of over two million more people in work. In April 2025 we also published new Get Britain Working outcome metrics, including intermediate objectives to reduce health-related economic inactivity and to reduce the disability employment rate gap. The investment and reforms proposed in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, alongside our investment in Connect to Work and in new local trailblazers announced before the Green Paper, will make a significant difference to employment opportunities for disabled people and those with health conditions, and to making progress against these measures.

What estimate her Department has made of the real terms value of public sector wages in each year since 2010.

Pay for most public sector workforces is set based upon recommendations produced by respective independent Pay Review Bodies (PRBs). The PRBs consider a range of evidence when forming their recommendations, including the need to recruit, retain and motivate suitably able and qualified people; the financial circumstances of Government; the Government's policies for improving public services; and the Government's inflation target. The last government neglected public sector pay for 14 years, leaving public services unable to recruit and keep the staff they need. That is why going forward, we want to make sure our public services can attract and keep the talent they need, as to ensure that those services provide a firm foundation for economic growth. As part of achieving this, every 2025/26 pay award announced by the Government to date is above forecast inflation over the 2025/26 pay year, delivering another real-terms pay rise on top of the one the Government provided for 2024/25. Furthermore, this Government remains committed to the independent Pay Review Body process as the established mechanism for determining pay uplifts for most public sector workers. It has operated for over four decades, provides independent advice and is a neutral process in which all parties play a role; which the unions campaigned to establish in the first place. However, we recognise that faith in the Pay Review Body process had fallen in recent years, and so we are committed to bringing pay awards earlier in the pay year. That is why this Government announced pay awards for many workforces over two months earlier than last year. Additionally, we will be remitting PRBs for the next pay round shortly to put an end to pay awards being delivered late, ensuring that our valued public sector workers receive pay awards closer to the start of the pay year.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of public sector pay awards in the 2025-26 financial year on trends in the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of public sector staff.

Pay for most public sector workforces is set based upon recommendations produced by respective independent Pay Review Bodies (PRBs). The PRBs consider a range of evidence when forming their recommendations, including the need to recruit, retain and motivate suitably able and qualified people; the financial circumstances of Government; the Government's policies for improving public services; and the Government's inflation target. The last government neglected public sector pay for 14 years, leaving public services unable to recruit and keep the staff they need. That is why going forward, we want to make sure our public services can attract and keep the talent they need, as to ensure that those services provide a firm foundation for economic growth. As part of achieving this, every 2025/26 pay award announced by the Government to date is above forecast inflation over the 2025/26 pay year, delivering another real-terms pay rise on top of the one the Government provided for 2024/25. Furthermore, this Government remains committed to the independent Pay Review Body process as the established mechanism for determining pay uplifts for most public sector workers. It has operated for over four decades, provides independent advice and is a neutral process in which all parties play a role; which the unions campaigned to establish in the first place. However, we recognise that faith in the Pay Review Body process had fallen in recent years, and so we are committed to bringing pay awards earlier in the pay year. That is why this Government announced pay awards for many workforces over two months earlier than last year. Additionally, we will be remitting PRBs for the next pay round shortly to put an end to pay awards being delivered late, ensuring that our valued public sector workers receive pay awards closer to the start of the pay year.

What estimate her Department has made of the employment support funding required to secure employment income increases for people losing welfare payments as set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper.

The government has announced an additional £1.9 billion in funding for employment-related support between 2026/27 and 2029/30, for disabled people and those with health conditions. This will ensure that support is available from next year as benefit changes come in, and can be offered to anyone affected by those changes. This support will be based on existing evidence of what works and comes on top of redeploying one thousand work coaches helping sixty-five thousand find jobs, Connect to Work helping one hundred thousand, and Work Well helping fifty-six thousand.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing regularised direct negotiations with workforce trades unions on (a) recruitment and (b) retention.

Pay for most public sector workforces is set based upon recommendations produced by respective independent Pay Review Bodies (PRBs). The PRBs consider a range of evidence when forming their recommendations, including the need to recruit, retain and motivate suitably able and qualified people; the financial circumstances of Government; the Government's policies for improving public services; and the Government's inflation target. The last government neglected public sector pay for 14 years, leaving public services unable to recruit and keep the staff they need. That is why going forward, we want to make sure our public services can attract and keep the talent they need, as to ensure that those services provide a firm foundation for economic growth. As part of achieving this, every 2025/26 pay award announced by the Government to date is above forecast inflation over the 2025/26 pay year, delivering another real-terms pay rise on top of the one the Government provided for 2024/25. Furthermore, this Government remains committed to the independent Pay Review Body process as the established mechanism for determining pay uplifts for most public sector workers. It has operated for over four decades, provides independent advice and is a neutral process in which all parties play a role; which the unions campaigned to establish in the first place. However, we recognise that faith in the Pay Review Body process had fallen in recent years, and so we are committed to bringing pay awards earlier in the pay year. That is why this Government announced pay awards for many workforces over two months earlier than last year. Additionally, we will be remitting PRBs for the next pay round shortly to put an end to pay awards being delivered late, ensuring that our valued public sector workers receive pay awards closer to the start of the pay year.

If she will publish the financial penalties issued to Serco in relation to unmet targets for electronic monitoring in each of the past 12 months.

Releasing information on financial penalties would prejudice, or would likely prejudice, Serco Group Limited’s commercial interests.To provide the number of outstanding monitoring visits in need of completion by Serco in each of the past 12 months would be of disproportionate cost.While the backlog of outstanding visits has been significantly reduced, Serco’s overall performance remains below acceptable levels. We continue to hold them to account for that and will not hesitate to impose further financial penalties where necessary.The performance requirements are detailed within the Key Performance Indicators in the Field and Monitoring Service contract, and these are available on Contracts Finders under Schedule 3 of the contract: Electronic Monitoring Field and Monitoring Service (FMS) - Contracts Finder. Whilst we acknowledge that performance has been unacceptable, the Ministry of Justice continues to hold Serco to account for poor performance and we are overseeing service improvements.During the procurement of the Field and Monitoring Service contract, all suppliers were required to provide details of their safeguarding processes, and these were assessed as part of the evaluation process. The contract outlines the ongoing audit rights that allow the Ministry of Justice to review all processes. There is an annual assurance test completed by the contract management team to ensure that what suppliers have outlined is being adhered to, and the next assurance is scheduled to be carried out in July 2025.The Field and Monitoring Service contract is already published and is available on Contracts Finder: Electronic Monitoring Field and Monitoring Service (FMS) - Contracts Finder. Specifically, please refer to the schedules referenced Core Terms and Schedule 3 (Performance).

What the timeframe is in which Serco much reach minimum performance standards for electronic tag device installation.

Releasing information on financial penalties would prejudice, or would likely prejudice, Serco Group Limited’s commercial interests.To provide the number of outstanding monitoring visits in need of completion by Serco in each of the past 12 months would be of disproportionate cost.While the backlog of outstanding visits has been significantly reduced, Serco’s overall performance remains below acceptable levels. We continue to hold them to account for that and will not hesitate to impose further financial penalties where necessary.The performance requirements are detailed within the Key Performance Indicators in the Field and Monitoring Service contract, and these are available on Contracts Finders under Schedule 3 of the contract: Electronic Monitoring Field and Monitoring Service (FMS) - Contracts Finder. Whilst we acknowledge that performance has been unacceptable, the Ministry of Justice continues to hold Serco to account for poor performance and we are overseeing service improvements.During the procurement of the Field and Monitoring Service contract, all suppliers were required to provide details of their safeguarding processes, and these were assessed as part of the evaluation process. The contract outlines the ongoing audit rights that allow the Ministry of Justice to review all processes. There is an annual assurance test completed by the contract management team to ensure that what suppliers have outlined is being adhered to, and the next assurance is scheduled to be carried out in July 2025.The Field and Monitoring Service contract is already published and is available on Contracts Finder: Electronic Monitoring Field and Monitoring Service (FMS) - Contracts Finder. Specifically, please refer to the schedules referenced Core Terms and Schedule 3 (Performance).

If she will publish the contractual terms under which (a) delays and (b) poor performance in Serco's delivery of its electronic monitoring contract would trigger (i) the introduction of a remedial advisor, ((ii) step-In, (iii) consequential losses and (iv) termination rights processes.

Releasing information on financial penalties would prejudice, or would likely prejudice, Serco Group Limited’s commercial interests.To provide the number of outstanding monitoring visits in need of completion by Serco in each of the past 12 months would be of disproportionate cost.While the backlog of outstanding visits has been significantly reduced, Serco’s overall performance remains below acceptable levels. We continue to hold them to account for that and will not hesitate to impose further financial penalties where necessary.The performance requirements are detailed within the Key Performance Indicators in the Field and Monitoring Service contract, and these are available on Contracts Finders under Schedule 3 of the contract: Electronic Monitoring Field and Monitoring Service (FMS) - Contracts Finder. Whilst we acknowledge that performance has been unacceptable, the Ministry of Justice continues to hold Serco to account for poor performance and we are overseeing service improvements.During the procurement of the Field and Monitoring Service contract, all suppliers were required to provide details of their safeguarding processes, and these were assessed as part of the evaluation process. The contract outlines the ongoing audit rights that allow the Ministry of Justice to review all processes. There is an annual assurance test completed by the contract management team to ensure that what suppliers have outlined is being adhered to, and the next assurance is scheduled to be carried out in July 2025.The Field and Monitoring Service contract is already published and is available on Contracts Finder: Electronic Monitoring Field and Monitoring Service (FMS) - Contracts Finder. Specifically, please refer to the schedules referenced Core Terms and Schedule 3 (Performance).

What steps her Department is taking to review operational practice with Serco to ensure that safeguarding actions for electronic monitoring staff are properly implemented.

Releasing information on financial penalties would prejudice, or would likely prejudice, Serco Group Limited’s commercial interests.To provide the number of outstanding monitoring visits in need of completion by Serco in each of the past 12 months would be of disproportionate cost.While the backlog of outstanding visits has been significantly reduced, Serco’s overall performance remains below acceptable levels. We continue to hold them to account for that and will not hesitate to impose further financial penalties where necessary.The performance requirements are detailed within the Key Performance Indicators in the Field and Monitoring Service contract, and these are available on Contracts Finders under Schedule 3 of the contract: Electronic Monitoring Field and Monitoring Service (FMS) - Contracts Finder. Whilst we acknowledge that performance has been unacceptable, the Ministry of Justice continues to hold Serco to account for poor performance and we are overseeing service improvements.During the procurement of the Field and Monitoring Service contract, all suppliers were required to provide details of their safeguarding processes, and these were assessed as part of the evaluation process. The contract outlines the ongoing audit rights that allow the Ministry of Justice to review all processes. There is an annual assurance test completed by the contract management team to ensure that what suppliers have outlined is being adhered to, and the next assurance is scheduled to be carried out in July 2025.The Field and Monitoring Service contract is already published and is available on Contracts Finder: Electronic Monitoring Field and Monitoring Service (FMS) - Contracts Finder. Specifically, please refer to the schedules referenced Core Terms and Schedule 3 (Performance).