Ian Lavery Portrait

Ian Lavery

Labour - Wansbeck

First elected: 6th May 2010


Co-National Campaign Coordinator
14th Jun 2017 - 5th Apr 2020
Shadow Minister (Cabinet Office)
7th Oct 2016 - 5th Apr 2020
Party Chair, Labour Party
14th Jun 2017 - 5th Apr 2020
Campaigns and Elections Chair
11th Feb 2017 - 14th Jun 2017
Shadow Minister (Cabinet Office) (Trade Unions and Civil Society)
18th Sep 2015 - 7th Oct 2016
Energy and Climate Change Committee
8th Jul 2015 - 26th Oct 2015
Energy and Climate Change Committee
2nd Nov 2010 - 30th Mar 2015
Regulatory Reform
26th Jul 2010 - 30th Mar 2015
Draft Deregulation Bill (Joint Committee)
10th Jul 2013 - 11th Dec 2013
Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
26th Jul 2010 - 24th Oct 2011


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Ian Lavery has voted in 716 divisions, and 3 times against the majority of their Party.

25 Mar 2021 - Coronavirus - View Vote Context
Ian Lavery voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 21 Labour No votes vs 176 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 484 Noes - 76
30 Dec 2020 - Sittings of the House - View Vote Context
Ian Lavery voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 7 Labour Aye votes vs 183 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 335 Noes - 212
14 Dec 2021 - Public Health - View Vote Context
Ian Lavery voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 22 Labour No votes vs 124 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 385 Noes - 100
View All Ian Lavery Division Votes

Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Penny Mordaunt (Conservative)
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
(13 debate interactions)
Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative)
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
(12 debate interactions)
Jacob Rees-Mogg (Conservative)
(10 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Cabinet Office
(28 debate contributions)
Department for Education
(22 debate contributions)
Department of Health and Social Care
(22 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Ian Lavery's debates

Wansbeck Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Petition Debates Contributed

We want the Government to repeal the Dangerous Dogs Act and replace it with legislation that focuses on early intervention to prevent dog bites and tackle dog-related issues regardless of breed or type, based solely on their behaviour.


I believe that the XL bully is a kind, beautiful natured breed that loves children and people in general, and are very loyal and loving pets.

The Government must introduce legislation to abolish greyhound racing, via managed shutdown of activities, and ensure welfare of redundant dogs through a levy on the industry. In 2019 Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) data confirmed 4970 injuries & 710 deaths (14 per week).

We demand the Government restore England’s publicly funded, publicly provided NHS by reversing all privatising legislation, ending ongoing PFI contracts, and scrapping plans for Integrated Care Systems and for-profit US-style ‘managed care’.

Government should support vulnerable children & #endchildfoodpoverty by implementing 3 recommendations from the National Food Strategy to expand access to Free School Meals, provide meals & activities during holidays to stop holiday hunger & increase the value of and expand the Healthy Start scheme


Latest EDMs signed by Ian Lavery

22nd March 2024
Ian Lavery signed this EDM on Monday 25th March 2024

Four-day working week

Tabled by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
That this House understands the importance of exploring the possibility of a shorter working week, including a four-day week, which trials have shown can benefit workers, employers, the economy, society and the environment; recognises that companies in the world's biggest four-day week trial saw healthy growth, with an average revenue …
23 signatures
(Most recent: 26 Mar 2024)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 14
Scottish National Party: 4
Plaid Cymru: 3
Independent: 1
Green Party: 1
Social Democratic & Labour Party: 1
21st March 2024
Ian Lavery signed this EDM on Monday 25th March 2024

Teachers’ Pension Scheme and universities

Tabled by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
That this House notes that employers’ contributions to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS), of which approximately 58,000 university staff are members, are soon to increase by 5% in England and Wales; further notes, with concern, that while schools and colleges will receive additional funding from the Department for Education (DfE) …
15 signatures
(Most recent: 27 Mar 2024)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 10
Independent: 2
Green Party: 1
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Scottish National Party: 1
View All Ian Lavery's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Ian Lavery, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Ian Lavery has not been granted any Urgent Questions

2 Adjournment Debates led by Ian Lavery

Wednesday 25th January 2023
Monday 13th September 2021

2 Bills introduced by Ian Lavery


The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to establish the right of persons in receipt of housing benefit and universal credit in the social housing sector to receive said benefits at regular intervals; to provide that such persons should not be financially penalised in relation to the number of bedrooms in a residence; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Wednesday 12th February 2014

The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to require lip-reading to be classified as an essential skill for the purpose of skills funding; to require the Secretary of State to ensure that people who are deaf or hard of hearing have access to lip-reading classes provided by local learning providers at no cost to the learner; and for connected purposes

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Tuesday 10th May 2011

Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
3 Other Department Questions
25th Mar 2022
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether or not late night and early shift workers are offered free transportation home from Parliament.

The late night transport service is a centrally managed service provided for eligible staff in all Teams of the House. It provides transport from the Palace of Westminster to the home of a member of staff using shared taxis. The House will cover the cost of journeys home within a 25-mile radius of the Palace of Westminster.

The House provides the service for staff who finish late night duties at predictable times after the time the House rises and at unpredictable times (where workload determines finish times).

Staff on official duty or required to work after 11.00 pm are eligible to use the late night transport service.

23rd Nov 2020
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, for what reason the Anti-bullying grant fund has not been extended beyond March 2020; and if she will allocate additional funding to support the extensions of that fund.

We want to ensure that all children, whoever they are, are kept safe in schools. Since 2016, we have invested £4m to support schools in preventing and addressing homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying, reaching 2,250 schools in England. This programme concluded in March 2020 and we are currently evaluating it.

In our 2019 Manifesto, we made clear our commitment to continuing to help teachers tackle bullying, including homophobic bullying, and the Government is continuing to fund anti-bullying projects. The Department for Education announced £750k of funding in June for three charitable organisations, including a project for victims of hate-related bullying.

The Department for Education is also rolling out new inclusive statutory Relationships Education in all primary schools and Relationships and Sex Education in all secondary schools, so that children leave school prepared for life in modern, diverse, Britain.

Kemi Badenoch
President of the Board of Trade
23rd Nov 2020
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, for what reason the Government did not extend the Anti-bullying grant fund beyond March 2020.

We want to ensure that all children, whoever they are, are kept safe in schools. Since 2016, we have invested £4m to support schools in preventing and addressing homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying, reaching 2,250 schools in England. This programme concluded in March 2020 and we are currently evaluating it.

In our 2019 Manifesto, we made clear our commitment to continuing to help teachers tackle bullying, including homophobic bullying, and the Government is continuing to fund anti-bullying projects. The Department for Education announced £750k of funding in June for three charitable organisations, including a project for victims of hate-related bullying.

The Department for Education is also rolling out new inclusive statutory Relationships Education in all primary schools and Relationships and Sex Education in all secondary schools, so that children leave school prepared for life in modern, diverse, Britain.

Kemi Badenoch
President of the Board of Trade
7th Feb 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason his Department allowed Vesa Equity to increase its stake in Royal Mail group.

The Secretary of State takes decisions under the National Security and Investment Act 2021 in a quasi-judicial capacity. The Investment Security Unit coordinates expertise from across Government so that the Secretary of State may make decisions based on the evidence. It would not be appropriate to comment on the detail of national security assessments.

Nusrat Ghani
Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
6th Jun 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with representatives of the Infected Blood Inquiry on (a) ongoing funding for the support scheme payments and (b) financial settlements recommended in Sir Robert Francis' report.

The Government has committed to providing support for those infected and affected. Ex-gratia support has been provided to those affected by this issue since 1988. No policy discussions have taken place with the statutory Inquiry, that is independent.

As the responsible Minister for the Infected Blood Inquiry, I announced earlier this week the publication of the study by Sir Robert Francis QC into a framework of compensation for people directly affected by infected blood. Sir Robert will give evidence about his work to the Infected Blood Inquiry on 11th and 12th July. The government is considering Sir Robert’s recommendations.

24th May 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants have been working from home more than 50 per cent of their working hours by constituency as of 24 May 2022.

This is not information that is centrally held.

Civil servants played a vital role in supporting the Government’s response to the pandemic, alongside delivering essential public services.

Following the removal of all pandemic restrictions, I have written to departments to underline the importance of workplace attendance. Civil servants, who had necessarily been working from home during the pandemic, are increasingly returning to regular working in the office

24th May 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants were working from home by constituency on average during 2020.

This is not information that is centrally held.

Civil servants played a vital role in supporting the Government’s response to the pandemic, alongside delivering essential public services.

Following the removal of all pandemic restrictions, I have written to departments to underline the importance of workplace attendance. Civil servants, who had necessarily been working from home during the pandemic, are increasingly returning to regular working in the office

16th May 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many external consultants have been hired by each Government department since 2020; and what the cost to the public purse has been of those consultants in each of those years.

Government Departments draw on the advice of external specialists for a range of services. Consultancy includes staff who provide objective advice relating to strategy, structure, management or operations of an organisation and may include the identification of options with recommendations.

The Consultancy Playbook was published in May 2021 alongside the Sourcing Playbook, to provide additional guidance when sourcing consultancy services. This supports our agenda to commission and engage with consultants more effectively, achieving better outcomes, better value for money, and improved civil service capability through the transferral of knowledge and skills.

Consultancy is bought as a service, not by the number of individuals required, therefore the number of consultants hired is not held centrally. Consultancy spend, including ALB spend, is published in departmental annual reports and accounts and is reproduced below.

Department

2019/20

2020/21

BEIS

55,700,000

137,300,000

CO

38,841,000

79,779,000

DCMS

32,900,000

46,100,000

DFE

12,700,000

8,700,000

DEFRA

33,299,000

36,337,000

DFT

168,390,654

175,720,840

DHSC

290,206,000

485,997,000

DIT

897,000

5,782,000

DWP

28,500,000

29,000,000

FCDO

2,936,902

2,742,044

HMRC

1,700,000

8,600,000

HMT

18,000,000

17,000,000

HO

33,700,000

32,402,000

MHCLG

5,229,000

20,148,000

MOD

134,627,000

109,668,000

MOJ

14,962,000

15,742,000

25th Jun 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the chair of the Infected Blood compensation framework has been given budget boundaries for that framework.

The purpose of this study is to provide the Paymaster General with advice on potential options for compensation framework design and solutions for victims of infected blood. Following public consultation, the study’s terms of reference will be finalised. It is important that the independent reviewer, Sir Robert Francis, is able to examine all options and design solutions. No budget boundaries have been set in respect of his considerations.

Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
15th Mar 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Government will introduce a full bereavement pension for people affected by the contaminated blood scandal in England.

Work is currently underway across the government on a number of infected blood issues. I will update the House shortly on progress.

The (then) Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster wrote to the Chair of the Infected Blood Inquiry on 2 July 2018, approving legal support funding for people infected, and their families. Details of how to apply for funding are on the Inquiry’s website - Statement of Approach: Legal Representation at Public Expense.

Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
15th Mar 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to ensure victims and their families involved in the contaminated blood scandal are able to access the necessary legal support required.

Work is currently underway across the government on a number of infected blood issues. I will update the House shortly on progress.

The (then) Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster wrote to the Chair of the Infected Blood Inquiry on 2 July 2018, approving legal support funding for people infected, and their families. Details of how to apply for funding are on the Inquiry’s website - Statement of Approach: Legal Representation at Public Expense.

Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
15th Mar 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to ensure individuals and families affected by the contaminated blood scandal are adequately compensated.

Work is currently underway across the government on a number of infected blood issues. I will update the House shortly on progress.

The (then) Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster wrote to the Chair of the Infected Blood Inquiry on 2 July 2018, approving legal support funding for people infected, and their families. Details of how to apply for funding are on the Inquiry’s website - Statement of Approach: Legal Representation at Public Expense.

Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
7th Sep 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of re-introducing the daily covid-19 briefings that took place in Downing Street that included questions and answers.

The Government remains committed to providing the public with the information they need relating to Coronavirus. We will keep under review how best to provide this information, and the Prime Minister held a Covid-19 brief on 9 September.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
1st Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will (a) provide details of each (i) article and (ii) advertorial that has been sponsored by (A) the Government and (B) other bodies using public money in any paper and digital news platform and (b) publish the cost of each of those articles and advertorials from 1 January 2020 to date.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to PQ 33512 on 21 April 2020.

30th Jan 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people were made redundant in (a) Wansbeck constituency, (b) Northumberland and (c) England in the last six months.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

30th Jan 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average wage in Wansbeck constituency is.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

17th Jan 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to consult people affected by the Contaminated Blood Scandal on the (a) effect of infection on their health and (b) adequacy of the treatment they received.

I will be meeting with members of the infected and affected community on Tuesday 28th January 2020 to listen to their experiences, so that I can hear first-hand about the issues that matter most to them.

Oliver Dowden
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
21st Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to her Department's Inward investment results 2022 to 2023, published on 27 June 2023, what the value of the 67 foreign direct investments into renewable energy were, by technology type.

The Department for Business and Trade does not publish value and type information in the annual foreign direct investment publication at sector level due to data availability and confidentiality issues.

As there are gaps in the completeness of the value information across projects across sectors, DBT excludes value information to the publication. The impact of these gaps is greater when the data is divided into specific sector areas. However, at an aggregate level it is possible to add value related data.

Additional breakdowns describing the type or nature of an investment increase the opportunity to identify individual companies, to which DBT offer full confidentiality.

Nusrat Ghani
Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
21st Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to her Department's statistics entitled DBT inward investment results 2022 to 2023, published on 27 June 2023, if she will list the 67 Foreign Direct Investment renewable energy projects by value.

The Department for Business and Trade does not publish value and type information in the annual foreign direct investment publication at sector level due to data availability and confidentiality issues.

As there are gaps in the completeness of the value information across projects across sectors, DBT excludes value information to the publication. The impact of these gaps is greater when the data is divided into specific sector areas. However, at an aggregate level it is possible to add value related data.

Additional breakdowns describing the type or nature of an investment increase the opportunity to identify individual companies, to which DBT offer full confidentiality.

Nusrat Ghani
Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
21st Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to her Department's statistics entitled DBT inward investment results 2022 to 2023, published on 27 June 2023, if she will publish a breakdown by technology of the 67 Foreign Direct Investment renewable energy projects.

The Department for Business and Trade does not publish value and type information in the annual foreign direct investment publication at sector level due to data availability and confidentiality issues.

As there are gaps in the completeness of the value information across projects across sectors, DBT excludes value information to the publication. The impact of these gaps is greater when the data is divided into specific sector areas. However, at an aggregate level it is possible to add value related data.

Additional breakdowns describing the type or nature of an investment increase the opportunity to identify individual companies, to which DBT offer full confidentiality.

Nusrat Ghani
Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
29th Feb 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent progress the Insolvency Service has made on its civil investigation of P&O Ferries' dismissal of 786 employees on 17 March 2022.

The Insolvency Service’s civil investigation into the circumstances surrounding the redundancies made by P&O Ferries remains ongoing. As such no further comment or information can be provided at this time.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
7th Dec 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many of Royal Mail's delivery routes have changed as a result of the adoption of electric vehicles.

Royal Mail is a private company, and the Government does not have a role in its operational decisions including the deployment of electric vehicles and administration of delivery routes.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
21st Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions she has had with (a) the Scottish Government and (b) public bodies on the potential merits of changing procurement processes to reduce the use of zero-hour contracts in Scotland.

Zero hours contracts are an important part of the UK’s flexible labour market, they are useful where there is not a constant demand for staff, allowing flexibility for both employers and individuals – like carers, people studying, or retirees. For this small group, a zero hours contract may be the type of contract which works best for them.

Research from CIPD found that 62% of zero hours contract workers are satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs, which is similar to the proportion of employees as a whole (66%) (2022).

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
21st Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of people on zero hours contracts in (a) the North East and (b) the UK.

Zero hours contracts are an important part of the UK’s flexible labour market, they are useful where there is not a constant demand for staff, allowing flexibility for both employers and individuals – like carers, people studying, or retirees. For this small group, a zero hours contract may be the type of contract which works best for them.

Research from CIPD found that 62% of zero hours contract workers are satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs, which is similar to the proportion of employees as a whole (66%) (2022).

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
21st Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Office for National Statistics report entitled EMP17: People in employment on zero hours contracts, published in May 2023, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of data on the number of people on a zero hours contract.

Zero hours contracts are an important part of the UK’s flexible labour market, they are useful where there is not a constant demand for staff, allowing flexibility for both employers and individuals – like carers, people studying, or retirees. For this small group, a zero hours contract may be the type of contract which works best for them.

Research from CIPD found that 62% of zero hours contract workers are satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs, which is similar to the proportion of employees as a whole (66%) (2022).

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
21st Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of zero-hour contracts on the (a) health and (b) well-being of workers.

Zero hours contracts are an important part of the UK’s flexible labour market, they are useful where there is not a constant demand for staff, allowing flexibility for both employers and individuals – like carers, people studying, or retirees. For this small group, a zero hours contract may be the type of contract which works best for them.

Research from CIPD found that 62% of zero hours contract workers are satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs, which is similar to the proportion of employees as a whole (66%) (2022).

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
21st Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to support (a) young workers, (b) women and (c) workers not born in the UK that are subject to zero-hour contracts.

Zero hours contracts are an important part of the UK’s flexible labour market, they are use-ful where there is not a constant demand for staff, allowing flexibility for both employers and individuals – like carers, people studying, or retirees. For this small group, a ze-ro hours contract may be the type of contract which works best for them.

To support lower paid workers we have extended the ban on exclusivity clauses, which restrict staff from working for multiple employers, to contracts where the guaranteed weekly income is equivalent to or below the Lower Earnings Limit of £123 a week. On 1 April 2023, the Government increased the National Living Wage (NLW) for workers aged 23 years and over by 9.7% to £10.42.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
27th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the activities of P&O in 2022, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to prevent companies making workers immediately redundant.

The government is consulting on a draft Statutory Code of Practice on dismissal and re-engagement that will deter employers from misusing controversial tactics and failing to engage in meaningful consultations with employees and their representatives.

There are already clear rules in place around notification and consultation which employers must follow when making 20 or more employees redundant. Most companies, when facing up to these difficult decisions, do the right thing and follow these rules.

Of course there will always be some that do not, and I agree it is important that our framework adequately deals with this.

A civil investigation into P&O Ferries' actions by the Insolvency Service is of course ongoing. When this is complete, I will look at any findings closely and consider whether any change to the law is required.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
7th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of potential trends in the cost of (a) petrol and (b) diesel in the next 12 months.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero does not forecast petrol and diesel prices. The Department does monitor trends in the global crude oil and related product markets.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
30th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of Royal Mail's plans to cut 10,000 full-time equivalent roles by August 2023 on the Government's levelling up agenda.

Decisions on organisational structure and staffing levels are operational business matters for Royal Mail. The Government is not involved in the operations of Royal Mail, a private business, but notes that the company has invested over £2 billion since privatisation including significant investment in new parcel super-hubs in the North West and the West Midlands.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
30th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his Department's policies of the Royal Mail Group reducing the Univeral Service Obligation to five days with no Saturday deliveries.

The Government’s objective continues to be ensuring the provision of a sustainable, accessible, and affordable universal postal service. The Government has no current plans to change the statutory minimum requirements of the universal postal service which are set out in the Postal Services Act 2011.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
30th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy to launch an inquiry into the management of funds by Royal Mail Group Ltd.

Royal Mail is a private business and the management of its finances are matters for its Board and shareholders.

Company directors are scrutinised internally and externally by shareholders and the various government authorities that oversee companies within the UK, namely Companies House and HMRC.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
2nd Sep 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to take steps to prevent energy companies classifying houses with a communal heat network as a commercial supply when it is for residential use.

The Government has announced that it will effectively cap the price of heat sold by heat networks through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme this winter by reducing the commercial prices of energy used by networks and introducing Regulations requiring networks to pass on the benefit of the EBRS to end consumers.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
1st Sep 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to extend the protection of the energy price cap to housing tenants reliant on communal boilers such as older persons housing schemes that are classified as being a commercial supply.

The Government has announced that it will effectively cap the price of heat sold by heat networks through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme this winter by reducing the commercial prices of energy used by networks and introducing Regulations requiring networks to pass on the benefit of the EBRS to end consumers.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
23rd Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an estimate of average annual household carbon equivalent emissions broken down by income.

BEIS publishes statistics on UK territorial carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, but these are not broken down by constituency, social class, or income.

Instead, statistics showing carbon dioxide emissions by local authority and average carbon dioxide emissions per capita by local authority up to 2019 are available:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-local-authority-and-regional-carbon-dioxide-emissions-national-statistics-2005-to-2019.

Statistics showing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions by local authority up to 2020 were published on 30 June 2022.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
23rd Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an estimate of average annual household carbon equivalent emissions broken down by constituency.

BEIS publishes statistics on UK territorial carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, but these are not broken down by constituency, social class, or income.

Instead, statistics showing carbon dioxide emissions by local authority and average carbon dioxide emissions per capita by local authority up to 2019 are available:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-local-authority-and-regional-carbon-dioxide-emissions-national-statistics-2005-to-2019.

Statistics showing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions by local authority up to 2020 were published on 30 June 2022.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
29th Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of trends in the cost of fuel over the next 12 months.

The Department’s analysis shows that retail prices of petroleum products such as petrol and diesel are primarily driven by the underlying price in the global market of crude oil and by exchange rates. Departmental analysis shows that changes to the price of crude oil feed through to retail prices over the course of 6-7 weeks. The prices are also influenced by a range of other supply and demand factors, including refining capacity, stock levels, logistics and distribution costs and seasonal demand variations.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
29th Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of renewable energy for national security.

The crisis in Ukraine has shown the importance of the Government’s plans for a strong UK renewable energy sector to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. The Net Zero Strategy includes ambitious plans to support the deployment of renewable technologies such as offshore wind and solar. The forthcoming Energy Security Strategy will set out further detail on the Government’s plan for a strong, home-grown, low carbon economy to strengthen our future energy security.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
25th Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to end fire and rehire, following the events at P&O.

The Government has been consistent in condemning the inappropriate use of firing and rehiring tactics during negotiations. As per the Written Statement I made on Tuesday 29 March (HCWS735), the Government will now bring forward statutory code later this year, under section 203 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

The code will be admissible in evidence before a court or Employment Tribunal in England, Scotland and Wales. Where relevant, statutory codes are referred to by employment tribunal judges when deciding the level of award an employee is entitled to. The Government will set out next steps after recess, and will be consulting on the draft code later this year as required by law.

6th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the cost was of restoring power lost as a result of Storm Arwen; and how that cost was met.

The cost of restoring power during Storm Arwen was met by Transmission and Distribution Network Operators. Their expenditure and charges to customers are carefully regulated by Ofgem through the network price controls process.

As the independent regulator for energy, Ofgem has also announced that it will undertake a review into the impact of Storm Arwen. This will focus on the role of the network companies in maintaining the resilience of the system and their emergency response.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
6th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the average amount of time that people were without power as a result of Storm Arwen in (a) Wansbeck constituency, (b) Northumberland and (c) the North East.

Across Great Britain, around 830,000 electricity customers who were impacted by Storm Arwen had their power restored within 24 hours, however, nearly 10,000 households went without power for a week or more, many of whom were in the North East of England. The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has commissioned his officials to carry out a post-incident review into the Distribution Network Operator’s response to Storm Arwen, which will ascertain the full scale of customer disruption.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
6th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the amount of profit made by private electricity companies compared to investment in electricity infrastructure in each of the last 10 years.

Electricity network operators are private companies which build, own, and operate electricity network infrastructure. As regional monopolies, they are regulated by the independent energy regulator, Ofgem. The total value of the electricity transmission price control between 2013 and 2021 was over £15bn, while the forecast total value of the electricity distribution price control between 2015 and 2023 is over £29bn.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
6th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much money his Department has spent on electricity infrastructure in each of the last 10 years.

Electricity network operators are private companies which build, own, and operate electricity network infrastructure. As regional monopolies, they are regulated by the independent energy regulator, Ofgem. The total value of the electricity transmission price control between 2013 and 2021 was over £15bn, while the forecast total value of the electricity distribution price control between 2015 and 2023 is over £29bn.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
6th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department made of the resilience of energy networks and infrastructure prior to Storm Arwen in the regions affected by that storm.

Great Britain has one of the most reliable energy systems in the world and maintaining a secure electricity supply is a key priority for Government.

Government regularly liaises with industry through the Energy Emergencies Executive Committee to continually improve and maintain the resilience of energy infrastructure, networks and assets, to reduce vulnerabilities, and to ensure an effective response to actual or potentially disruptive incidents.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
15th Oct 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of net negative generator payments on the Contracts for Difference Scheme.

Under the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme, a generator is paid the difference between the ‘strike price’ – a price for electricity reflecting the cost of investing in a particular low carbon technology – and the ‘reference price’ – a cost measure of the average GB market price for electricity. Generators have to pay back the difference to the Low Carbon Contracts Company (LCCC) when market prices are higher than the strike price.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
10th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to prevent the use of fire and rehire practices in the food production and processing sector.

This Government has been clear that we expect employers to treat their employees fairly and in the spirit of partnership. Using threats about firing and rehiring as a negotiation tactic is unacceptable. We expect employers and employees to negotiate new terms and conditions and there are laws around how this must be done, and legal protections in place when firms are considering redundancies.

We asked Acas to conduct an evidence-gathering exercise to improve our evidence base. We welcome Acas’ report on this work which was published on 8 June.

The Acas report demonstrated that there are different views on whether the practice can ever be justified. For some of the organisations consulted by Acas, it is never acceptable. For others, in its most legitimate form ‘fire and rehire’ is a route for employers to avoid redundancies and business failures, after negotiations have been exhausted.

I have asked Acas to produce better, more comprehensive, clearer guidance to help employers explore all the options before considering ‘fire and rehire’ and encourage good employment relations practice.

23rd Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to ensure that businesses receiving Government covid-19-related support do not make staff redundant.

Throughout this crisis, the Government has sought to protect people’s jobs and livelihoods whilst supporting businesses and public services across the UK.

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) is specifically designed to protect jobs, and it has been used by 1.2 million employers to support 9.9 million jobs.

The legal position in relation to redundancy and dismissal remains the same whether or not an employee has been furloughed or whether or not the employer has received Government funding. Any redundancy process should be fair and reasonable with appropriate equalities considerations. Employees with the necessary qualifying service who believe that they have been unfairly selected for redundancy, or that the redundancy was unfair in some other way, may be able to complain to an employment tribunal.