Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with Ofcom on the comparative (a) employment practices and (b) delivery of delivery companies excluding Royal Mail; and what plans he has to ensure similar standards to those applied to Royal Mail to improve delivery outcomes.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ministers and officials meet with Ofcom regularly to discuss a range of issues in relation to its role as the independent regulator for the postal sector.
Delivery companies are independent businesses, and the government has no role in their operational decisions. Ofcom does not regulate the employment models of delivery companies.
The Government will consult on the topic of employment status generally, as soon as possible in the New Year.
Delivery targets covering all postal operators would be a decision for Ofcom to consider as part of its reviews of postal regulation.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with the Royal Mail on the continued viability of the Universal Service Obligation.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ministers and officials have discussions with Royal Mail on a regular basis in its capacity as the universal service provider.
Ofcom has a primary duty to secure the provision of a universal postal service, having regard to its financial sustainability and efficiency. On 10 July this year, Ofcom announced changes to the universal postal service obligation intended to have a significant positive impact on the financial sustainability of the universal service and support its continued provision.
It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to monitor Royal Mail’s service standards with powers to take enforcement action where failures are identified without sufficient justification. Ofcom requires Royal Mail to publish its quality of service performance data on a quarterly basis.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment his Department has made of (a) adequacy of the (i) performance and (ii) outcomes of Royal Mail’s Optimised Delivery Model trials and (b) whether these trials demonstrate that the model can meet the requirements of the Universal Service Obligation.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Operational implementation of the reforms to the Universal Service Obligation are a matter for Royal Mail’s management working with its workers and unions. The government does not have a role in the operational decisions of the business.
Ofcom is responsible for monitoring Royal Mail’s delivery of its universal service obligations and has committed to monitoring the implementation process closely, to identify any issues with the roll-out of changes, whether the cost savings have been realised, and any impacts on the consumer experience.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 Royal Mail meets its statutory service standards and provides accurate reporting on delivery performance.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ministers and officials have discussions with Royal Mail on a regular basis in its capacity as the universal service provider.
Ofcom has a primary duty to secure the provision of a universal postal service, having regard to its financial sustainability and efficiency. On 10 July this year, Ofcom announced changes to the universal postal service obligation intended to have a significant positive impact on the financial sustainability of the universal service and support its continued provision.
It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to monitor Royal Mail’s service standards with powers to take enforcement action where failures are identified without sufficient justification. Ofcom requires Royal Mail to publish its quality of service performance data on a quarterly basis.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether Royal Mail has provided his Department with evidence to substantiate any projected cost savings in relation to the Optimised Delivery Model.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Royal Mail produced its own modelling to estimate the net savings of key elements of its Optimised Delivery Model proposal to support its response to Ofcom’s Call for Input. Royal Mail’s submission is available on Ofcom’s website.
Ofcom, as the independent regulator responsible for securing a financially sustainable and efficient universal postal service, has been clear that realising the benefits of reform is dependent on Royal Mail’s ability to implement them operationally.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what information his Department holds on the number of breaches of employment law there have been in each sector during seasonal recruitment periods in each of the last three years.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Director of the Labour Market Enforcement’s (DLME) Annual Report for 2023 to 2025 (published in November 2025) provides information on enforcement activity across sectors and areas of heightened risk, including in relation to seasonal workers.
The Government is establishing the Fair Work Agency (FWA) in April 2026 which will deliver a much-needed upgrade to employment rights enforcement. Once established, the FWA will publish annual reports on its work and lay them before Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 reporting mechanisms in capturing breaches of employment law among temporary and seasonal workers.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Director of the Labour Market Enforcement’s (DLME) Annual Report for 2023 to 2025 (published in November 2025) provides information on enforcement activity across sectors and areas of heightened risk, including in relation to seasonal workers.
The Government is establishing the Fair Work Agency (FWA) in April 2026 which will deliver a much-needed upgrade to employment rights enforcement. Once established, the FWA will publish annual reports on its work and lay them before Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will publish information on (a) investigations and (b) enforcement action taken in relation to breaches involving (i) seasonal and (ii) temporary workers over the Christmas period in each of the last three years.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
All employers must comply with their legal obligations to ensure that their staff receive the rights and protections to which they are entitled, including when recruiting temporary or seasonal staff during periods of high demand such as Christmas.
The Employment Agency Standards (EAS) Inspectorate regulates the recruitment sector and has extensive legal powers to address non-compliance and offending. Temporary and seasonal workers are also entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW), and NMW enforcement officers in HMRC can and do take action where employers fail to meet their legal obligations.
The Government will establish the Fair Work Agency (FWA) in April 2026. This will deliver a much-needed upgrade to the enforcement of workers’ rights and will bring together the important work EAS and HMRC-NMW are doing. The Government is committed to giving the FWA the resources it needs to do its job.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 risks associated with non-compliance with employment law as a result of the rapid recruitment of temporary workers in the postal sector during the Christmas period.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
All employers must comply with their legal obligations to ensure that their staff receive the rights and protections to which they are entitled, including when recruiting temporary or seasonal staff during periods of high demand such as Christmas.
The Employment Agency Standards (EAS) Inspectorate regulates the recruitment sector and has extensive legal powers to address non-compliance and offending. Temporary and seasonal workers are also entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW), and NMW enforcement officers in HMRC can and do take action where employers fail to meet their legal obligations.
The Government will establish the Fair Work Agency (FWA) in April 2026. This will deliver a much-needed upgrade to the enforcement of workers’ rights and will bring together the important work EAS and HMRC-NMW are doing. The Government is committed to giving the FWA the resources it needs to do its job.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 enforcement capacity during periods of high-volume seasonal recruitment.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
All employers must comply with their legal obligations to ensure that their staff receive the rights and protections to which they are entitled, including when recruiting temporary or seasonal staff during periods of high demand such as Christmas.
The Employment Agency Standards (EAS) Inspectorate regulates the recruitment sector and has extensive legal powers to address non-compliance and offending. Temporary and seasonal workers are also entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW), and NMW enforcement officers in HMRC can and do take action where employers fail to meet their legal obligations.
The Government will establish the Fair Work Agency (FWA) in April 2026. This will deliver a much-needed upgrade to the enforcement of workers’ rights and will bring together the important work EAS and HMRC-NMW are doing. The Government is committed to giving the FWA the resources it needs to do its job.