Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps he is taking to help ensure reliable postal deliveries in Chepstow.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
I have been frank in my conversations with Royal Mail’s leadership and with my statements to the House in recent debates that Royal Mail’s service has been unacceptable for too long, and that the pace of improvement must increase. I will continue to raise issues relating to service performance directly with Royal Mail, including the impact of delays on communities.
Ofcom, as the independent regulator, is responsible for setting, monitoring and enforcing Royal Mail’s service standards under the universal service obligation.
Ofcom is currently investigating Royal Mail’s service performance for 2025-26 and will take regulatory action where necessary to hold the company to account for improving service standards.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps he is taking to help ensure Royal Mail delivers letters to vulnerable people in a timely manner.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The government recognises that many vulnerable people rely on postal services to receive important correspondence.
Royal Mail is an independent business, and the government does not have a role in its day-to-day operational decisions. Royal Mail has its own measures to support vulnerable customers where relevant.
It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator, to monitor Royal Mail’s compliance with its universal service obligation and to take enforcement action where necessary.
Government continues to engage closely with Ofcom and Royal Mail on the quality of service provided, to ensure that all customers, including vulnerable users, receive the service they are entitled to.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help people who have been victims of a) scams by rogue builders and b) poor workmanship by rogue builders.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
This Government is working to ensure we have a high-quality and professional construction industry, with consumer protection at the heart of this. TrustMark, sponsored by the Department and licenced by the Government, is the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme that covers work a consumer chooses to have carried out in or around their home. In addition, the Building Safety Act 2022 has introduced competence requirements for both individuals and businesses working in the built environment.
Any action that the Government takes on licensing to protect customers and standards needs to be robust, proportionate and evidence based.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure consumers are adequately protected from rogue builders.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
This Government is working to ensure we have a high-quality and professional construction industry, with consumer protection at the heart of this. TrustMark, sponsored by the Department and licenced by the Government, is the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme that covers work a consumer chooses to have carried out in or around their home. In addition, the Building Safety Act 2022 has introduced competence requirements for both individuals and businesses working in the built environment.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help protect STEM jobs in Wales.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy is protecting and expanding STEM jobs in Wales by backing future industries and Wales’s strengths in advanced manufacturing, digital technologies and life sciences. North Wales will pioneer the UK’s first Small Modular Reactor programme, supporting up to 3,000 new jobs. Two Welsh AI Growth Zones are unlocking more than 8,000 technology roles across the country, while the UK Government’s £500 million investment in an electric arc furnace at Port Talbot, and continued support for the compound semiconductor cluster, further strengthens Wales’s industrial and STEM employment base.