Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to take steps to recover the costs of compensation from Fujitsu relating to failures of the Horizon Post Office IT system.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government welcomes Fujitsu’s acknowledgement of their moral obligation to make a contribution to the cost of the Horizon scandal. Fujitsu’s contribution will be decided once the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry has reviewed all the evidence and the Chair has delivered his report.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department is holding discussions with Stellantis on the announced closure of its Vauxhall plant in Luton.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Secretary of State has been in contact with Stellantis since July to discuss the pressures in their UK and global business and the future of the Luton plant. He met them again on 26 November where they regrettably shared their proposals to consult on the closure Luton and consolidation at Ellesmere Port.
We know this will be a concerning time for the families of employees at Luton who may be affected, and we will continue to work closely with Stellantis, as well as trade unions and Luton Borough Council on the next steps of their proposals and how to mitigate the impact on employees affected and the local area.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Vauxhall's planned closure of its plant in Luton on North East Hertfordshire constituency; and if he will take steps to support (a) people and (b) businesses in that constituency affected by that planned closure.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Stellantis announced on 26 November that it was starting a consultation with staff at its Luton plant on its plans for the future of its manufacturing there.
The Department is actively engaging with the company and has asked them to share the full details of its plans, including the site.
We will continue to work closely with Stellantis, trade unions and Hertfordshire County Council to understand the impact of their proposals on the economy of Hertfordshire.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has had discussions with trade unions on Vauxhall's planned closure of its plant in Luton.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Stellantis announced on 26 November that it was starting a consultation with staff on its plans to consolidate its two UK manufacturing sites into one plant at Ellesmere Port.
The Department is actively engaging with the company and has asked them to share the full details of its plans, including its consultation with workers and trade unions.
We will continue to work closely with Stellantis, as well as trade unions and Luton Borough Council, on the next steps of their proposals.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what notice the Post Office plans to give of closure of branches; and what plans he has to to mitigate the potential impact of such closures on rural communities.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
No decisions to close any or all of the remaining Directly Managed Branches in rural and urban areas have been taken as of yet. Given the difficult financial position the Post Office is in, it is right that it reviews the costs of its operations and considers ways to reduce their costs further.
The Post Office will continue to deliver on the 11,500 minimum branch requirement set by Government. Longer term, Government has set out our plan to publish a Green Paper to consult with the public on the long-term future of the Post Office. This Green Paper will help inform what customers, communities and postmasters would like to see from a modern Post Office network.