Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on imports from Israeli settlements mislabelled as originating from Israel.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
I have had several discussions with colleagues on trade with and within the Israeli settlements in Palestine, which are illegal under international law. We strongly advise against conducting any economic and financial activities in settlements.
Goods produced in these settlements are not entitled to benefit from preferential tariff treatment under the UK’s trade agreements with the Palestinian Authority and Government of Israel. UK operators are advised on gov.uk that, to claim preferential tariffs, all movement certificates and invoice declarations made out in Israel must include the origin where production has taken place. Where there are doubts about the declared origin of goods, HMRC undertakes checks to verify it.
The UK Government has introduced guidelines outlining how products originating from the territories occupied by Israel since 1967 should be specifically labelled as such as not to mislead the consumer.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate his department has made of the number of kinship carers in Newbury who would benefit from the introduction of statutory leave and pay entitlements for kinship carers.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Department has not made this estimate. However, the Parental Leave and Pay Review is considering the full range of parental leave and pay entitlements, alongside the needs of working families who may not currently qualify for support, including kinship carers. We have engaged with a broad range of stakeholders through bilateral meetings and roundtables, including parent advocacy groups representing kinship carers.
The Government is also supporting kinship carers through a pilot scheme in selected local authorities, providing eligible carers with an allowance aligned with the Fostering National Minimum Allowance, supporting up to 5,000 children.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what engagement his department has undertaken with kinship carers and representative organisations as part of the Parental Leave and Pay Review.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Government’s Parental Leave and Pay Review is considering all current parental leave and pay entitlements, as well as the needs of other working families who do not qualify for existing leave and pay entitlements, such as kinship carers.
Through the Review we have engaged with a broad range of stakeholders, which has included bilateral meetings and roundtables with parent advocacy groups that represent kinship carers.
The Review will conclude in early 2027 with a set of findings which outline next steps for implementing any reforms.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the impact of Post Office closures on elderly and digitally excluded residents in rural communities.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
My Department conducted social value research into the most frequent users of the Post Office to feed into the Green Paper on the Future of the Post Office, which we published last year. This research showed that the most frequent users are typically older, from more rural areas, or less confident using digital technology. In the Government’s Response to the Green Paper, we committed to protecting access to services for these and other users by retaining the minimum requirement of 11,500 Post Office branches and all six geographical Access Criteria. This means, for example, that 99% of the UK population must be within three miles of a Post Office.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what guidance his Department provides to Post Office Ltd on public consultation and communication with local communities ahead of planned branch closures.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Public consultation and communication with local communities ahead of planned branch closures is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd and Government does not provide guidance on this matter.
Post Office is committed to consulting on any proposed branch changes as set out in the ‘Principles of Community Engagement’, which is published on Post Office’s website. These are a set of guidelines agreed with the statutory consumer advocacy bodies – Citizens Advice, Consumer Scotland and the Consumer Council Northern Ireland. These consultations focus on customers’ access to Post Office products following any proposed change.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has considered introducing a mandatory licensing scheme for building companies.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is fully committed to implementing the Grenfell Inquiry recommendation that principal contractors working on higher-risk buildings should be licenced through a scheme managed by the Building Safety Regulator. We have accepted this recommendation as an important step in enhancing building safety standards.
We continue to engage with stakeholders as to whether a wider licencing scheme would improve standards of consumer protection. This work is progressing alongside our broader initiatives to enhance competency across the construction sector through the Industry Competence Committee, ensuring a comprehensive approach to raising standards throughout the industry.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has had discussions with Evri on measures to support frontline delivery staff, including a) training, b) working conditions and c) pay.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
All businesses must comply with relevant laws and employers must comply with their legal obligations to ensure that their workforce receive the rights and protections to which they are entitled.
Evri, and other parcel delivery operators, are independent businesses and the government does not have a role in their operational decisions.
Ofcom, the independent regulator for postal services, does not regulate the employment or remuneration models of Evri or other parcel delivery companies.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has held discussions with relevant stakeholders on the adequacy of the operations of major parcel delivery operators during seasonal demands.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ministers have regular discussions with Ofcom in its capacity as the independent regulator for the postal sector with the responsibility and powers to regulate postal services.
The government wants to see all operators provide a good level of service, including during peak seasons. However, parcel delivery companies are independent businesses, and the government has no role in their operational decisions.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to require parcel delivery companies to publish regular data on a) delivery success rates, b) complaints volumes, c) compensation claims and d) average resolution times.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Ofcom is the independent regulator for the postal sector. The government does not have a role in Ofcom’s regulatory decisions.
Ofcom last reviewed postal regulation in 2022 and considered extending the requirement on Royal Mail to publish complaints handling reports to the wider parcels sector. It concluded the market, then, was working well.
Following recent market developments, Ofcom is gathering evidence of operator’s compliance levels with their applicable Consumer Protection Conditions.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has had recent discussions with Ofcom regarding its monitoring and enforcement activity in respect of Evri.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Ministers have regular discussions with Ofcom in its capacity as the independent regulator for the postal sector with the responsibility and powers to regulate postal services. The government does not have a role in Ofcom’s regulatory decisions.
Following market developments, Ofcom are gathering evidence of operator’s compliance levels with their applicable Consumer Protection Conditions.