Oral Answers to Questions

Catherine West Excerpts

Wednesday 30th November 2022 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

We support the right of parents to home-educate their children and we know that many do well. However, that is not the case for all, which is why local authorities must seek to identify those children missing education. We have published guidance on the arrangements that they should be following and, indeed, ensured that they have oversight of elective home education.

[Catherine West (Hornsey and Wood Green) (Lab)]

Q9. After record payouts to shareholders last year, the Royal Mail recently—this year—announced huge half-year losses and plans to cut 10,000 jobs, while threatening the cherished universal service obligation that guarantees a minimum six-days-a-week letter delivery service, in the tradition of the Penny Black from 1840. Why have the Government not yet committed to investigating the cack-handed mismanagement of this iconic British service and to protecting its future and loyal postal workers?

[The Prime Minister]

Again, I have nothing but gratitude and appreciation for the hard work of our postal workers, but it is not the right approach to go on strike, and especially to demand pay, as we have heard, that is simply unaffordable for hard-working British taxpayers. The hon. Lady would do well to see that. In the context that we are in, it is simply not possible to give people the type of pay demands that they are making.