Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether discussions her Department has had with the Government of Indonesian on the UK-Indonesia Economic Growth Partnership has included the clearance of indigenous peoples’ rainforests for food estates in Merauke District in Indonesian New Guinea.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK is a leading advocate for human rights around the world. We raise issues affecting indigenous people through ongoing diplomatic engagement on international human rights commitments. The Economic Growth Partnership with Indonesia reaffirms commitments to protect and restore primary forests, peatlands, and related ecosystems, reduce deforestation, and respect the rights of workers, local communities and customary law communities.
Growing trading relationships help enable open conversations, including on human rights. As signatories to the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use, the UK and Indonesia are committed to working to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
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 the UK-Indonesia Economic Growth Partnership on (a) indigenous peoples’ human rights and (b) tropical forests.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK is a leading advocate for human rights around the world. We raise issues affecting indigenous people through ongoing diplomatic engagement on international human rights commitments. The Economic Growth Partnership with Indonesia reaffirms commitments to protect and restore primary forests, peatlands, and related ecosystems, reduce deforestation, and respect the rights of workers, local communities and customary law communities.
Growing trading relationships help enable open conversations, including on human rights. As signatories to the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use, the UK and Indonesia are committed to working to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to protect the human rights of Indigenous Peoples in Indonesia, in the context of the UK-Indonesia Economic Growth Partnership.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK is a leading advocate for human rights around the world. We raise issues affecting indigenous people through ongoing diplomatic engagement on international human rights commitments. The Economic Growth Partnership with Indonesia reaffirms commitments to protect and restore primary forests, peatlands, and related ecosystems, reduce deforestation, and respect the rights of workers, local communities and customary law communities.
Growing trading relationships help enable open conversations, including on human rights. As signatories to the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use, the UK and Indonesia are committed to working to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
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 the UK's Investor-State Dispute Settlement Scheme on foreign policy goals.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK is party to 77 Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) that contain Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS). The UK’s international investment agreements aim to enhance opportunities for UK businesses to expand overseas, with commitments that seek to limit the barriers they face, make it easier to navigate local rules, and ensure investments are treated lawfully, and protected against unfair or arbitrary action. These are fully consistent with our foreign policy goals and our economic ambitions for the country. We keep the operation of these provisions under review.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that UK-made weapons components are not used in violations of international humanitarian law by allied states.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Business and Trade Secretary is responsible for licensing the export of military goods. In his decisions he draws on advice from the Foreign Secretary, including with regard to compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL).
Under the UK’s robust export licensing criteria, the Government will not issue export licences if there is a clear risk that the items might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of IHL. We review all new licence applications on this basis. We also keep all our extant licences (which typically last for two years) under continual review.
Should licences be found to no longer be consistent with the criteria, the Government can amend, suspend or revoke them.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
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 adequacy of Ofcom’s regulation of (a) Evri and (b) other parcel delivery companies on (i) the recruitment, vetting and oversight of self-employed couriers, (ii) the suitability and safety of vehicles used for parcel delivery and (iii) consumer protection and complaints resolution in the context of reports of ((A) lost, (B) delayed and (C) improperly delivered parcels; and whether he plans to strengthen regulatory requirements for such operators.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
It is important that all parcel operators provide a good service to their customers and reduce the number of lost, delayed or improperly delivered parcels as far as possible. Evri and other parcel operators are independent businesses, and the government has no role in their operational decisions. All delivery companies must comply with employment and traffic or vehicle safety obligations.
Ofcom, the independent regulator for postal services, requires that all operators have a straightforward, accessible, and affordable complaints process. It does not regulate the employment models of Evri or other delivery companies.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of enhanced Post Offices providing (a) affordable and (b) community-based access to (i) cash and (ii) face-to-face banking services in rural areas where banking hubs are not considered viable.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I welcome the introduction of enhanced Post Offices in suitable areas, demonstrating Post Office continuing its vital role as an important alternative to bank branches in providing convenient in-person cash and banking services.
The Government would welcome further collaboration between Post Office and the banking sector on a commercial and voluntary basis. Together with the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, I plan to co-chair a roundtable with the Post Office and key banks shortly which will provide an opportunity to discuss where future potential collaboration may be in the interests of both parties.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to expand the range of in-person Government services available via the Post Office network.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government’s consultation on the Post Office closed on 6 October and we thank all individuals and organisations for their detailed responses to our Green Paper, including the responses related to Post Office’s role in providing in-person Government services. Government is carefully considering all responses to the Green Paper and aims to respond in early 2026.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to establish a national framework to enable local authorities to provide residents with (a) face-to-face access and (b) payment facilities for local government services through the Post Office network.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
While this idea is not something currently under consideration, this Government welcomes all ideas on the future of the Post Office and will keep this idea under review.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
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 effectiveness of Ofcom’s financial penalties in improving Royal Mail’s ability to meet its performance targets; and if he will take steps to ensure that future fines are reinvested to increase (a) staffing levels and (b) service quality within Royal Mail rather than being paid into the Consolidated Fund.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ofcom’s financial penalties are regulatory decisions in which the government does not have a role. The government expects Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to ensure the provision of a financially sustainable and efficient universal postal service.
Financial penalties are designed to incentivise compliance and deter future breaches, rather than to fund specific operational improvements. As with other regulatory fines, any sums collected are paid into the Consolidated fund in accordance with standard Treasury practice, unless explicit statutory provision or a Treasury-approved agreement allows otherwise.
It is for Royal Mail, as an independent company to determine its staffing levels and improve its performance to ensure it meets its Universal Service Obligation. It is clear that Royal Mail’s improvements have not been good enough. As such, Ofcom has told Royal Mail it must publish and deliver a credible improvement plan.