Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment has been made of the adequacy of police powers in responding to suspected offences committed by diplomatic mission staff where evidence is withdrawn into inviolable diplomatic premises.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government recognises that, under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (VCDR), the premises of a diplomatic mission are inviolable. The UK complies with its international obligations under the VCDR. Where appropriate, law enforcement authorities may seek a waiver of inviolability from the sending State through established diplomatic channels.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment has been made of the risks associated with the unlawful importation of prohibited weapons using diplomatic privileges, including but not limited to diplomatic consignments protected under the Vienna Convention.
Answered by Uma Kumaran - Assistant Whip
The Government recognises that, under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (VCDR), diplomatic bags and certain diplomatic consignments are afforded specific immunities. The UK complies with its international obligations under the VCDR, and there are long-established rules concerning the use of diplomatic consignments which we expect all states to adhere to. Relevant authorities continually assess and manage the risks of misuse of diplomatic privileges, including for the unlawful importation of prohibited weapons.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the incident involving the alleged use of prohibited weapons that took place at the Chinese Embassy in London on 3 July 2026.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that their investigation continues as officers review evidence, including video footage supplied by witnesses. It would therefore be inappropriate to comment further at this time.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any authority under section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968 has been granted to personnel of the Chinese Embassy in London.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that their investigation continues as officers review evidence, including video footage supplied by witnesses. It would therefore be inappropriate to comment further at this time.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has met with the Chinese Ambassador to the UK since 3 July 2026.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary has not met the Ambassador. On the 23rd of July, the Foreign Secretary met the Chinese Foreign Minister in Malaysia where they discussed the current conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and extending collaboration on security, the economy and climate.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
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 establish a minimum floor of employment rights for workers in the parcel delivery sector regardless of their contractual status; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of current protections for those workers.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
It is important that the parcel delivery market works for businesses, customers and workers.
Ofcom has powers to independently regulate parcel delivery companies although this does not extend to their employment models.
Employment rights are determined by employment status, which is based on the reality of the relationship between the individual and the person for whom services are provided. Employers should never seek to deny people their employment rights and avoid legal obligations by claiming someone is self-employed when in reality they are not.
The Government plans to consult on employment status in due course and we will engage with stakeholders across the postal services industry as part of this work.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
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 introduce proactive enforcement of employment status rules in the parcel delivery sector.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
It is important that the parcel delivery market works for businesses, customers and workers.
Ofcom has powers to independently regulate parcel delivery companies although this does not extend to their employment models.
Employment rights are determined by employment status, which is based on the reality of the relationship between the individual and the person for whom services are provided. Employers should never seek to deny people their employment rights and avoid legal obligations by claiming someone is self-employed when in reality they are not.
The Government plans to consult on employment status in due course and we will engage with stakeholders across the postal services industry as part of this work.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
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 tackle the misclassification of workers as self-employed in the parcel delivery sector.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
It is important that the parcel delivery market works for businesses, customers and workers.
Ofcom has powers to independently regulate parcel delivery companies although this does not extend to their employment models.
Employment rights are determined by employment status, which is based on the reality of the relationship between the individual and the person for whom services are provided. Employers should never seek to deny people their employment rights and avoid legal obligations by claiming someone is self-employed when in reality they are not.
The Government plans to consult on employment status in due course and we will engage with stakeholders across the postal services industry as part of this work.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what discussions he has had with Ofcom on whether the current delivery regulatory framework adequately accounts for the growth of unregulated parcel delivery operators; and what steps he is taking to address any resulting imbalance.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
It is important that the parcel delivery market works for businesses, customers and workers.
Ofcom has powers to independently regulate parcel delivery companies although this does not extend to their employment models.
Employment rights are determined by employment status, which is based on the reality of the relationship between the individual and the person for whom services are provided. Employers should never seek to deny people their employment rights and avoid legal obligations by claiming someone is self-employed when in reality they are not.
The Government plans to consult on employment status in due course and we will engage with stakeholders across the postal services industry as part of this work.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the Employer National Insurance Contributions lost to the Exchequer as a result of the misclassification of workers as self-employed in the parcel delivery sector; and what steps he is taking to recover those contributions.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
HMRC does not produce estimates of Employer National Insurance Contributions lost through worker misclassification in the parcel delivery sector.
Employment status for tax purposes depends on the specific terms and conditions of an engagement and must be determined on a case-by-case basis. Parcel delivery drivers may be correctly classified as self-employed or employed, depending on the particular facts of their engagement.
HMRC is committed to robustly tackling false self-employment and will investigate evidence that suggests companies may have misclassified individuals for tax purposes. In these cases, HMRC will identify the facts and take steps to ensure the correct tax and National Insurance Contributions are paid, along with any interest and penalties due. As announced by this Government, HMRC is recruiting 5,500 additional compliance officers to bolster tax compliance and close the tax gap. If someone is aware of non-compliance, they can report it to HMRC, and they will consider this evidence.