Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what discussions he has had with Ofcom on whether the current delivery regulatory framework adequately accounts for the growth of unregulated parcel delivery operators; and what steps he is taking to address any resulting imbalance.

It is important that the parcel delivery market works for businesses, customers and workers.

Ofcom has powers to independently regulate parcel delivery companies although this does not extend to their employment models.

Employment rights are determined by employment status, which is based on the reality of the relationship between the individual and the person for whom services are provided. Employers should never seek to deny people their employment rights and avoid legal obligations by claiming someone is self-employed when in reality they are not.

The Government plans to consult on employment status in due course and we will engage with stakeholders across the postal services industry as part of this work.