Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
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 Ofcom on the causes of delays in the delivery of first class post by Royal Mail in (a) the UK (b) Hampshire.
Answered by Justin Madders - 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.
It is for Ofcom to decide how to respond should Royal Mail fail to meet its obligations. While the government does not have a role in Ofcom’s regulatory decisions, in January, I met with representatives from Ofcom to discuss the importance of Royal Mail’s quality of service performance.
The government expects that Ofcom will continue to closely monitor Royal Mail’s performance and take action where appropriate.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
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 support hospitality businesses that made an economic and social contribution to towns and city centres.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We recognise the vital role hospitality businesses play in driving economic growth and strengthening community cohesion across the country.
We plan to introduce permanently lower business rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure properties with a rateable value under £500,000, we have reduced alcohol duty on qualifying draught beer products, saving the sector over £85 million annually. We’ve introduced a £1.5 million Hospitality Support Scheme to co-fund projects aligned with Department for Business & Trade and Hospitality Sector Council priorities, such as supporting initiatives like Pub is The Hub to encourage local investment. We have also launched a licensing taskforce to cut red tape and remove barriers to business growth.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of holiday clubs for parents of children with disabilities.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is committed to the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme to ensure children who are eligible for free school meals can access enriching activities and healthy meals. More than £200 million has been allocated to the programme for 2025/26.
Local authorities and their providers have flexibility about how they deliver HAF provision to best serve the needs of children and families in their area. The department encourages all local authorities to have a rich mix of provision catering for children with different interests and of different ages. There is flexibility in how the programme can be delivered to children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or additional needs.
When assessing the requirements of children with SEND or additional needs, local authorities should ensure that the provision they fund through the HAF programme is fully compliant with the Equality Act 2010. This will include making sure that they, and the providers they work with, put in place any reasonable adjustments which are required to ensure that children with a disability are not subject to discrimination.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the document entitled Reforming elective care for patients, published on 6 January 2025, whether his Department's plans to (a) expand non-surgical community-based ear, nose and throat services and (b) develop clinical models to support patients needing ear care will include the provision of ear wax removal services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ear, nose, and throat (ENT) services are one of five priority specialties identified in the Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, for significant transformation, due to the waiting times for ENT services. Given that a significant number of ENT referrals can be managed earlier and in a more convenient setting, we are exploring ways to expand community-based services so that patients receive quicker and more local care whilst reducing pressure on hospitals. The provision of earwax services will form part of this.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will exempt hospitality businesses from the business rates surcharge.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
To deliver our manifesto pledge, we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values below £500,000 from 2026-27. This permanent tax cut will ensure that RHL businesses benefit from much-needed certainty and support.
This tax cut must be sustainably funded, and so we intend to apply a higher multiplier from 2026-27 on the most valuable properties - those with rateable values of £500,000 and above. These represent less than one per cent of all properties, but cover the majority of large distribution warehouses, including those used by online giants.