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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps he has taken to ensure adequate HMRC phone line performance.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

Improving day-to-day performance is one of the Government’s key priorities for HMRC.

In 2025-26, HMRC met its headline telephony performance target with 85.1% of customers who wanted to speak to an adviser having their call answered.

HMRC continue to invest in new technology to improve their telephony service.

HMRC are also expanding their digital services so taxpayers can self-serve online, for example through the HMRC app. As more people self-serve online, HMRC’s advisers are able to focus on helping those who are digitally excluded, have complex queries or need extra support.

In July 2026, HMRC set out further information on its wider programme of service improvement in its Transformation Roadmap Update 2026, which can be found here:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-transformation-roadmap-progress-update-2026

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to support households with instability in the price of heating oil.

Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government recognises the particular pressures faced by rural and off-gas-grid households, including the need to purchase heating oil or LPG in bulk and their exposure to sudden price movements.

Earlier this year, £53 million of targeted support was announced for low-income households affected by higher heating-oil costs, including £3.8 million for Wales. Using this funding, the Welsh Government is providing a one-off £200 payment to low-income households that use heating oil or LPG and receive support through the Council Tax Reduction Scheme.

For those considering alternatives to oil heating, the Government is supporting the installation of low-carbon heating through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, for eligible households in England and Wales. A time-limited higher grant of £9,000 is available for eligible off-gas-grid properties replacing oil or LPG heating systems, helping households and small businesses most exposed to volatile fossil fuel prices to switch to low-carbon heating.

In addition, the Government published its formal response to the CMA heating oil report on 13 October, and is taking forward proposals to regulate the heating oil sector for the first time, making sure households who use heating oil are treated fairly. The full Government response is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/heating-oil-government-response-to-cma-market-study/government-response-to-the-cma-heating-oil-market-study.