Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing (a) the length of time for which paternity pay is awarded and (b) the level of paternity pay when the mother is not working.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
We recently published our response to the consultation on parental leave and pay. This detailed our planned reforms to make Paternity Leave and Pay more flexible and easier to take, including increasing the period of time within which leave can be taken and allowing it to be taken in non-consecutive blocks. In line with other parental pay entitlements, Paternity Pay is paid at the statutory rate.
The standard rate of Statutory Paternity Pay and Statutory Maternity Pay is reviewed annually and from April 2023, it increased by September's CPI figure of 10.1 per cent to £172.48.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of increasing the length of time for which paternity pay is awarded from two to four weeks.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
We recently published our response to the consultation on parental leave and pay. This detailed our planned reforms to make Paternity Leave and Pay more flexible and easier to take, including increasing the period of time within which leave can be taken and allowing it to be taken in non-consecutive blocks. In line with other parental pay entitlements, Paternity Pay is paid at the statutory rate.
The standard rate of Statutory Paternity Pay and Statutory Maternity Pay is reviewed annually and from April 2023, it increased by September's CPI figure of 10.1 per cent to £172.48.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing the level of paternity pay.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
We recently published our response to the consultation on parental leave and pay. This detailed our planned reforms to make Paternity Leave and Pay more flexible and easier to take, including increasing the period of time within which leave can be taken and allowing it to be taken in non-consecutive blocks. In line with other parental pay entitlements, Paternity Pay is paid at the statutory rate.
The standard rate of Statutory Paternity Pay and Statutory Maternity Pay is reviewed annually and from April 2023, it increased by September's CPI figure of 10.1 per cent to £172.48.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when she plans to respond to the letter of 26 May 2023 from the hon. Member for Glasgow North West on arranging a meeting to discuss redundancy compensation for former employees of Morton’s Rolls.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
The Department aims to respond to correspondence within 15 working days. I will write to the hon. Member shortly.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if her Department will take steps to help improve service delivery standards of parcel delivery companies.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Ofcom, which is the independent regulator for the sector, has powers to impose requirements on postal operators to protect customers.
In its review of the regulatory framework for post last year, Ofcom concluded that competition in the parcels market was driving benefits for consumers but that there were some problems that needed to be addressed. It proposed new guidance on complaints handling processes for parcel operators which will take effect from 1 April 2023. Ofcom has committed to ongoing monitoring and to consider enforcement action, or further regulation, if progress is not made.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she plans to introduce legislative proposals to help ensure that parcel delivery companies are providing high levels of customer service.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
The Postal Service Act 2011 already provides Ofcom, as the independent regulator for the sector, with powers to impose requirements on postal operators to protect customers. Ofcom's current consumer protection condition requires all postal operators to establish simple and inexpensive procedures for dealing with consumers’ complaints about postal services.
Following its review of the regulatory framework for post last year, Ofcom proposed new guidance on complaints handling processes for parcel operators which will take effect from 1 April 2023. Ofcom has committed to ongoing monitoring of the new provisions and to consider enforcement action, or further regulation, if progress is not made.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing legislative proposals to require delivery companies to provide proof of delivery notices rather than notices of delivery.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
The Government currently has no plans to change postal services legislation.
Ofcom is the independent regulator for the sector with the responsibility and powers to regulate postal services.