Every parliamentary written question tabled by John McDonnell this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 61–80 of 278 · this parliament
Pursuant to the written answer of 4 February 2026 to question 109058, if he will list the RFA vessels where permanent employees have opted in to work a reduced assignment length, other than the RFA Proteus.
Uptake varies according to operational cycles, but participation consistently fluctuates between nine and 10 per cent of the total workforce. These arrangements continue to support individual choice while maintaining operational resilience.
What recent discussions he has had with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary regarding the application of merchant shipping regulations covering RFA merchant seafarers’ maternity and paternity rights.
The Ministry of Defence is committed to ensuring that the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) maintains a positive, equitable workplace for all seafarers. RFA employees benefit from comprehensive employment rights and conditions well exceeding Maritime Labour Convention standards, including robust maternity, paternity and wider welfare provisions. The RFA’s commitment to fair treatment, safety and inclusive support ensures all personnel are protected throughout their service.
What plans her Department has to promote the National Year of Reading in a) early years settings, b) primary schools, c) secondary schools, d) further education and e) higher education.
The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address long-term declines in reading enjoyment.It includes a major physical and online marketing campaign, as well as exciting events, webinars, resources, and activities in communities, libraries, schools and early years settings throughout the year. Reading together is one of the most powerful ways to build a child’s language and communication skills, strengthen early bonds, and spark a lifelong love of reading, which is why early years is one of the priority groups for the National Year of Reading.We are raising awareness of the National Year of Reading through a range of methods, such as via departmental communication channels, the National Year of Reading mailing list and social media, communications from the National Literacy Trust, and promotion via the English Hubs network.All interested parties are encouraged to sign up to the National Year of Reading website for more information: https://goallin.org.uk/.To further support reading for pleasure, this government has committed over £10 million of dormant assets funding to guarantee a library for every primary school by the end of this parliament, and a further £5 million for secondary schools to purchase books to encourage reading enjoyment amongst their pupils.
What steps her Department is taking to ensure a long-term legacy from the National Year of Reading.
The National Year of Reading 2026 aims to make lasting change to the reading habits of the nation to address the decline in reading for pleasure, unlocking one of the most powerful tools for equity and opportunity, a love of reading that lasts a lifetime. The campaign aims for lasting impact by engaging new audiences, making reading relevant, transforming practice, and building infrastructure. For example, we are providing £5 million of funding for secondary schools to purchase books to encourage reading for pleasure.The National Year of Reading is grounded in both existing evidence and new research, conducted by an external research agency. This is a critical component of the campaign, to ensure it is impactful and meaningful, both during the year and beyond.There will be an independent external evaluation of the National Year of Reading, to be published in 2027. The evaluation will examine how the campaign influences reading behaviours, connects with audiences and shapes attitudes towards reading, particularly among the campaign’s priority audiences of teenage boys, early years children and families from disadvantaged communities. It will also assess the wider impact on the literacy sector and the foundations for long-term change.
What plans his Department has to promote the National Year of Reading in Scotland.
The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults. For example, only this week our delivery partner for this campaign, the National Literacy Trust, revealed that fewer than 1 in 10 teenage boys read daily for pleasure.The National Year of Reading aims to engage new audiences, reshape public attitudes and embed lasting, meaningful change on attitudes to reading. The campaign includes a major physical and online marketing campaign, as well as exciting events, webinars, resources, and activities in communities, libraries, schools and early years settings throughout 2026.We are working in collaboration with the Scottish Government and lead delivery partners - DC Thomson, The Scottish Book Trust and The Scottish Book and Information Council - to deliver this important initiative in Scotland.
What plans his Department has to promote literacy enrichment in the criminal justice system as part of the National Year of Reading.
The National Year of Reading is a welcome opportunity to promote a wide range of activity to improve literacy and engagement with reading for people in custody and on probation. As part of this work we have appointed the first ever Prison Reading Laureate, the author Lee Child. He will champion the transformative power of reading across the criminal justice system, continue expansion of his successful literacy pilot programme which has been running in a number of prisons since 2025 and will bring in more authors to work with prisons across the country, promoting the benefits of reading to rehabilitation. Reading is a priority for HMPPS who work with many voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations such as the Reading Agency and National Literacy Trust. A programme of work is planned throughout this year to improve national access to books and facilitate workshops with authors. The Youth Custody Service is also launching its first ever Literacy Festival to inspire reading amongst some of the most complex children in our society.
Whether the Civil Society Covenant will play a role in the delivery of the National Year of Reading.
The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults. It is a department initiative, in collaboration with our delivery partner, the National Literacy Trust, who are leading the delivery of the campaign.The National Year of Reading is operating as a collective impact campaign, allowing multiple partners from a range of sectors to participate, including schools, libraries, publishers, booksellers, media companies, retailers, and charities. It supports the Civil Society Covenant’s aims to build effective partnerships across the breadth of civil society and government, working together to tackle the deep-seated challenges of our time.Tackling the long-term decline in reading for pleasure requires cross-sector support across the UK, as encompassed by the Go All In campaign which encourages everyone to get involved. The year includes a major physical and online marketing campaign, as well as exciting events, webinars, resources, and activities in communities, libraries, schools and early years settings across the UK throughout the year.
What steps he is taking to ensure that people in the criminal justice system participate in the National Year of Reading.
The National Year of Reading is a welcome opportunity to promote a wide range of activity to improve literacy and engagement with reading for people in custody and on probation. As part of this work we have appointed the first ever Prison Reading Laureate, the author Lee Child. He will champion the transformative power of reading across the criminal justice system, continue expansion of his successful literacy pilot programme which has been running in a number of prisons since 2025 and will bring in more authors to work with prisons across the country, promoting the benefits of reading to rehabilitation. Reading is a priority for HMPPS who work with many voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations such as the Reading Agency and National Literacy Trust. A programme of work is planned throughout this year to improve national access to books and facilitate workshops with authors. The Youth Custody Service is also launching its first ever Literacy Festival to inspire reading amongst some of the most complex children in our society.
What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to promote equality and inclusion as part of the National Year of Reading.
The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign designed to tackle the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults, and to engage new audiences in reading. It aims to make lasting change to the nation’s reading habits and is for everyone, including adults, children, families and communities, reflecting that the decline in reading enjoyment affects all sectors of society. However, there will be a targeted focus on certain priority groups: boys aged 10 to16, parents from disadvantaged communities, and early years children.‘Go All In’ is a fully inclusive campaign, encouraging people to read about whatever interests them, through any genre and all mediums of reading, from physical books, to comics, to e-readers. The campaign includes support from a diverse range of authors, celebrities and content creators representing a range of different ages, backgrounds and cultures from communities across the UK. The campaign will reach communities across the UK through schools, libraries, businesses and local partners. Libraries, as free to access community hubs, will play a central role in supporting participation and helping people of all ages and from all sectors of society to develop a lasting love of reading.
What plans his Department has to promote the National Year of Reading in Northern Ireland.
I recently hosted the East West Council in Belfast where the Minister for Early Years noted the significant collaboration between all four nations of the UK to support the National Year of Reading. Education is a devolved matter and is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive. Decisions about the National Year of Reading in Northern Ireland are for the Northern Ireland Education Minister. This Government remains committed to working with partners across the United Kingdom to collaborate to share best practices and I look forward to seeing how this great initiative progresses throughout the year.
Media and Sport, what role Young Futures Hubs will play in the delivery of the National Year of Reading.
The National Year of Reading is a Department for Education initiative, in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust. Young Futures Hubs will bring together services to improve access to opportunities and support for young people at community level, promoting positive outcomes and enabling them to thrive. Local Authorities participating in the programme will co-design the services in each hub alongside young people in the community to ensure it meets local needs. Young Futures Hubs are just one part of delivering support within a much wider youth landscape, and will work closely with core services and wider initiatives spanning youth, education, employment, social care, mental health, youth justice and policing.
What plans her Department has to promote the National Year of Reading in Wales.
My Department works closely with the Department for Education (DfE) and the Welsh Government to deliver for the people of Wales across a range of shared priorities. The National Year of Reading, a DfE initiative, aims to address long-term declines in reading enjoyment through engaging new audiences, reshaping public attitudes and building the systems needed to embed lasting, meaningful change, during 2026 and beyond. The National Year of Reading includes a major physical and online marketing campaign, as well as exciting events, webinars, resources, and activities in communities, libraries, schools, and early years settings throughout the year. In Wales, the bilingual campaign will build on work already underway to support schools, learners and families, to improve literacy standards and nurture a lasting habit of enjoying reading. The campaign will encourage people to ‘Go all in’/ Ymgolli’ and enjoy reading. The National Year of Reading offers further opportunity to celebrate and promote the love of reading in both English and Welsh, showcasing the rich linguistic landscape and encouraging more people to discover, enjoy and engage with literature in the language of their choice. As Education is devolved, the Welsh Government is working with partners such as schools, local authorities, public libraries, and community groups across Wales to promote a love of reading and deliver a campaign to nurture lifelong reading habits. These partners play a vital role in the campaign and will take part in events across the year to showcase the joy of reading to people of all ages. The campaign also aligns with Estyn’s enhanced focus on reading, which will see the inspectorate working with all education providers to prioritise improving the reading skills of all learners in Wales.
Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to increase library engagement during the National Year of Reading.
Public libraries are central to the success of the National Year of Reading’s campaign to engage people of all ages with reading. The Reading Agency has been appointed to work with sector partners to deliver and support public library engagement. The Summer Reading Challenge in 2026, and World Book Night, the annual celebration of reading for adults on 23 April 2026, will be key moments for libraries during the National Year of Reading 2026. Throughout the year, The Reading Agency will provide public libraries with resources, toolkits, and print and digital materials to support their work and boost engagement.Local authorities such as Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Hillingdon, Oxfordshire and Nottinghamshire are actively celebrating and participating in the National Year of Reading programmes with various activities and events at their library branches.
Media and Sport, what role public libraries will play in the delivery of the National Year of Reading.
Public libraries are central to the success of the National Year of Reading’s campaign to engage people of all ages with reading. The Reading Agency has been appointed to work with sector partners to deliver and support public library engagement. The Summer Reading Challenge in 2026, and World Book Night, the annual celebration of reading for adults on 23 April 2026, will be key moments for libraries during the National Year of Reading 2026. Throughout the year, The Reading Agency will provide public libraries with resources, toolkits, and print and digital materials to support their work and boost engagement.Local authorities such as Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Hillingdon, Oxfordshire and Nottinghamshire are actively celebrating and participating in the National Year of Reading programmes with various activities and events at their library branches.
What resources he has allocated to the disclosure process on the Peter Mandelson inquiry.
I refer the Hon Member to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The Government is working to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.
Will the information received on the inquiry into Peter Mandelson be forwarded to the Intelligence and Security Committee (a) in tranches and (b) all together.
I refer the Hon Member to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The Government is working to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.
What is the expected date for completion of the review into the material related to Lord Mandelson.
I refer the Hon Member to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The Government is working to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.
What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that all documents relevant to his Department's investigation into Peter Mandelson are received in a timely manner.
I refer the Hon Member to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The Government is working to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.
With reference to the Humble address of 4 February 2026, what material the ISC will have the authority to determine the publication of; and whether the Government will have a right to veto ISC decisions on the publication of documents.
I refer the Hon Member to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The Government is working to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of Pakistan’s compliance with its obligations under international human rights conventions, particularly in relation to enforced disappearances.
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 6 February to question 107345.