Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing further recourse in situations where an employment tribunal award (a) relating to (i) wages, (ii) holiday pay, (iii) compensatory notice pay and (iv) compensation for unfair dismissal and (b) otherwise not relating to redundancy has been made but cannot be enforced because the company is no longer trading but has not gone into formal insolvency.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is not planning such an assessment; however, we are committed to our ambitious agenda to deliver our Plan for Change by ensuring employment rights are fit for a modern economy, empowering working people and contributing to economic growth and will continue to keep wider enforcement of employment rights under review.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recourse is available in situations where an employment tribunal award has been made but cannot be enforced because the company is no longer trading and has not gone into formal insolvency.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
In the absence of any formal insolvency proceedings, the Redundancy Payment Service, which is part of the Insolvency Service, can pay redundancy pay awarded by the Employment Tribunal to a former employee.
It is unable to consider payment of any other elements that may have been awarded, such as arrears of wages, holiday pay, compensatory notice pay or compensation for unfair dismissal.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he is having discussions with Royal Mail on (a) instances of repeat error charges and (b) the effectiveness of its complaints processes, in the context of the universal service obligation.
Answered by Justin Madders
Ministers and officials have discussions with Royal Mail on a regular basis in its capacity as the universal service provider. However operational issues such as error charges and complaints procedures are a matter for Royal Mail as an independent business, with the delivery of the universal service obligation overseen by Ofcom as the independent regulator.
Following its 2022 review of the regulatory framework for post, Ofcom issued new guidance which took effect from 1 April 2023 on improving complaints handling processes to ensure postal operators’ compliance with their existing regulatory obligations. Ofcom has committed to ongoing monitoring of the new provisions. Further information on Ofcom’s findings in its review are available on Ofcom’s website: www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations-and-statements/category-1/postal-regulation-review.