Royal Mail

Debate between Lord Woodley and Lord Stockwood

Monday 8th June 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Stockwood (Lab)]

There is regular analysis of overall delivery rates, including for mail that is waylaid. There are some innovative solutions within the universal service offering. For example, one of the questions that came up was about NHS letters, which are critical and must be delivered on time. There has been a technological solution involving barcodes that can ensure that those letters get prioritised when there is high demand and pressure on the service. I believe that the investor and Royal Mail are looking at innovative solutions to ensure that they meet their targets across the whole system.

[Lord Woodley (Lab)]

My Lords, I know from personal experience that urgent letters, particularly those associated with hospital appointments, are not getting through in time. Have the Government made any assessment of the devastating effect that this is having on healthcare in our country?

[Lord Stockwood (Lab)]

As I said in my previous answer, this was highlighted as an issue to the new investor. The Royal Mail has introduced a barcode system to optimise the delivery of NHS letters at times of local and national disruption, but it is beholden on all NHS bodies and providers to use this system. I ask all Members of the House to encourage their local NHS, where they interact with senior leadership, to take up this service. It is a technological solution that can prioritise those urgent and critical letters from the NHS, and this should provide certainty that the delivery will get there and not be in jeopardy.

Employee Car Ownership Schemes

Debate between Lord Woodley and Lord Stockwood

Monday 8th December 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Woodley]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact on the economy of changes to Employee Car Ownership Schemes announced on 21 July.

[The Minister of State, Department for Business and Trade and HM Treasury (Lord Stockwood) (Lab)]

My Lords, at the Budget 2025 the Government announced that, to allow more time for the automotive sector to prepare for and adapt to the proposed changes in treatment for employee car ownership schemes, its implementation will be delayed until 6 April 2030, with transitional arrangements until April 2032. The tax impact and information notice have been updated to reflect the impact of these changes.

[Lord Woodley (Lab)]

My Lords, I welcome the Minister to the Dispatch Box, as I am sure all colleagues do. I thank him for his positive response, having listened to the motor industry’s concerns. However, while welcome, this delay to wiping out ECOS, a 40 year-old industry leasing scheme, begs the obvious question: what assessment was made when these proposals were mooted, given that they would reduce production by 100,000 vehicles a year, cost 5,000 automotive jobs and hardly put a penny extra into the Treasury’s coffers? Would the Minister agree to meet me and industry colleagues to discuss whether these proposals should be scrapped entirely?