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Written Question
Postal Services: Scotland
Thursday 21st March 2024

Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make it her policy to ensure that orders made under section 104 of the Scotland Act 1998 on postal affairs are expedited.

Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

We are not currently aware of any section 104 orders which would be needed to overturn convictions in Scotland.


Written Question
Horizon IT System
Thursday 21st March 2024

Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what her planned timetable is to introduce legislation to exonerate sub-postmasters impacted by the Horizon IT System.

Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill was introduced to the House of Commons on 13 March. With the will of both Houses of Parliament, the Government’s intention is that the Bill receives Royal Assent as soon as possible before Summer Recess. Convictions in scope will be quashed on Royal Assent.


Written Question
Horizon IT System
Tuesday 27th February 2024

Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many people who worked in the investigation unit of the Post Office during the period in which Horizon prosecutions took place were still employed by the Post Office as of 20 February 2024.

Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

This is a HR matter for Post Office Ltd as the Department does not hold this information.


Written Question
Livestock Industry: Energy
Tuesday 30th January 2024

Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she is taking steps to support (a) the meat industry and (b) independent butchers with high energy costs.

Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Energy Bills Discount Scheme provides all eligible businesses and other non-domestic energy users with a baseline discount on high energy bills for 12 months from April 2023 until 31 March 2024.

A higher level of support will be provided to some Energy and Trade Intensive Industries (ETIIs) for 70% of their energy. Industries eligible for this support include certain meat and fish processing businesses.

A full list of eligible industries is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-bills-discount-scheme-factsheet/energy-bills-discount-scheme-energy-and-trade-intense-industries-assessment-methodology#annex-a-list-of-eligible-sectors-for-energy-and-trade-intensive-industries


Written Question
Sub Post Offices: Repayments
Friday 26th January 2024

Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had recent discussions with the Board of the Post Office Ltd on what the total value was of funds wrongly claimed back from sub postmasters using Horizon software.

Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

I hold meetings with the Post Office CEO on a monthly basis where we discuss the topic of Horizon compensation delivery.

Postmasters who paid shortfalls which were recorded in Horizon to the Post Office are paid those amounts back in their compensation claims, as well as any other financial and personal damage which they have suffered as a consequence of the IT system.

Government has made funding available for both the Horizon Shortfall Scheme and for Overturned Convictions compensation. Post Office has published its provisions for both in its annual accounts and Government has published the level of funding available on the Subsidy Transparency Database.


Written Question
Construction: Migrant Workers
Thursday 25th January 2024

Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment her Department has made of the impact of the UK's withdrawal from the EU on recruitment in the construction sector.

Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)

As Chair of the Construction Leadership Council, our Skills Plan has enabled the construction sector to compete and attract new recruits. In fact, the number of apprenticeships increased to over 32,000 last year. The Government has also ensured the sector has the flexibility to recruit workers from overseas to supply demand.

Apprenticeships and traineeships are a matter for the Department for Education.


Written Question
Disability: Benefits Rules
Wednesday 13th December 2023

Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Government's response to the Work Capability Assessment: activities and descriptors consultation, what estimate he has made of the proportion of consultation responses that were in favour of any of the proposals.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

We carefully considered the Work Capability Assessment consultation responses and feedback from our public events and engagement. We received over 1,300 written responses, including from disabled people and people with health conditions, as well as the organisations that represent and support them.

We do not have an estimate of the proportion that were in favour of any of the proposals.


Written Question
Work Capability Assessment
Tuesday 12th December 2023

Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the scorecard set out in the Autumn Statement document for the reform of the Work Capability Assessment descriptors takes into account the planned implementation of the Health and Disability White Paper for new claimants from 2026-27.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The impact of the planned reforms set out in the Health and Disability White Paper has not yet been scored by the Office for Budget Responsibility. Therefore, the impact of the changes to the Work Capability Assessment announced at Autumn Budget do not include the impact of the White Paper reforms.


Written Question
Disability: Poverty
Tuesday 12th December 2023

Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the proposals set out in the Government Response to the Work Capability Assessment: Activities and Descriptors Consultation, published on 22 November 2023, on trends in the level of disabled people in poverty.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

It is not possible to produce a robust estimate of the impact of the changes to Work Capability Assessments on levels of poverty for disabled people or people with or health conditions. The overall financial impacts of these measures on individuals have been considered in taking decisions on the Work Capability Assessment (WCA), alongside consideration of the responses to the consultation.

The Office for Budget Responsibility have published their assessment of the numbers that they expect to be affected by the changes and HMT have also published the impacts in their policy costing note that accompanies the Autumn Statement. We aim to publish an Impact Assessment in due course.


Written Question
Work Capability Assessment
Monday 11th December 2023

Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether income-related ESA claimants who are re-assessed upon moving to Universal Credit through Managed Migration after 2025 will be subject to the existing or new Work Capability Assessment.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

There is no automatic referral for reassessment for customers at the point that they move from Employment Support Allowance (ESA) to Universal Credit (UC). If a customer has an existing ESA Work Capability Assessment decision, they will not be required to have another assessment in order to get the health-related additions of Universal Credit, unless their health condition has changed.