Oral Answers to Questions

Christian Matheson Excerpts

Tuesday 12th December 2017 Commons Chamber

[Hugh Gaffney (Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill) (Lab)]

1. What assessment he has made of the effect of the privatisation of Royal Mail on employment standards in the postal industry.

[Christian Matheson (City of Chester) (Lab)]

11. What assessment he has made of the effect of the privatisation of Royal Mail on employment standards in the postal industry.

[Afzal Khan (Manchester, Gorton) (Lab)]

12. What assessment he has made of the effect of the privatisation of Royal Mail on employment standards in the postal industry.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am extremely grateful to the Minister, but we have a lot to get through. We need to be much brisker. Sorry.

[Christian Matheson]

I refer to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. As postal workers trudge through the snow this morning, they will have a right to be aggrieved at losing their pensions, while Moya Greene gets paid £1.9 million and gets free flights, paid for by Royal Mail, to Canada. Does the Minister accept that?

[Margot James]

I disagree with the hon. Gentleman. The pension scheme, if left unchanged, would result in virtual bankruptcy for Royal Mail. It would require an injection of £1.3 billion annually, against profitability of approximately £700 million. I think he can do the maths himself.