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1128917

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Post Offices: Closures
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with Post Office Ltd on the closure of Crown Post Offices; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Gedling
	tabling member printed	Vernon Coaker
	uin	258990
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>BEIS Ministers and officials engage regularly with representatives of Post Office Limited on a range of strategic issues of mutual interest. While the Post Office is publicly owned, it is a commercial business operating in competitive markets. The Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office – to maintain a national network accessible to all and to do so more sustainably for the taxpayer – and allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business. Therefore, issues relating to the Post Office network, including Crown Post Offices and franchising agreements with WHSmith, are all operational matters for Post Office Limited.</p><p>Most of the UK’s Post Office network of over 11,500 branches (almost 98%) already operates successfully on a franchise or agency basis. Research by Citizens Advice (June 2017) found that franchised branches are delivering to the same, or better, standards.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 06/06/2019 12:59:58 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	360 label Biography information for Lord Coaker

1129013

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Delivery Services: Scotland
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of excess delivery charges on people in the far north of Scotland; and what steps he is taking to reduce those charges.
	tabling member constituency	Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
	tabling member printed	Jamie Stone
	uin	259389
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>As a Government we have ensured that everyone, including retailers, has access to an affordable postal service for deliveries across the UK via the Universal Service.</p><p> </p><p>The Consumer Protection Partnership is engaging with industry to understand their pricing models and how to reduce costs for consumers in Scotland and Northern Ireland but ultimately these are commercial decisions for each business. Wayfair’s decision to scrap delivery charges on purchases over £40 anywhere in the UK is the type of commercial decision that will drive competition and lead to lower costs.</p><p> </p><p>Through the CPP’s engagement, industry is showing signs of shifting with marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay currently looking at how they can improve the transparency of their delivery options. Menzies Distribution also took a commercial decision to launch a new delivery service (HighlandParcels.com) last year enabling residents in the Highlands and Islands to register and receive their parcels for a fixed fee of £4.99 per delivery.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 06/06/2019 13:00:19 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4612 label Biography information for Jamie Stone

1129014

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Delivery Services: Fees and Charges
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure business accountability to online guarantees of delivery costs.
	tabling member constituency	Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
	tabling member printed	Jamie Stone
	uin	259390
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>We have been clear to retailers the need to comply with legislation by ensuring information about delivery conditions or restrictions is clear and up front at the point of purchase so consumers can make an informed choice and if appropriate choose to shop elsewhere.</p><p> </p><p>We have issued revised guidance for business and both the Competition and Markets Authority and the Advertising Standards Authority have undertaken compliance reviews and taken action as a result. The “delivery.law” website launched by Highland Trading Standards last year enables consumers to register a complaint for referral onto the relevant authority to consider enforcement action where there has been a breach of consumer law. The portal also provides guidance to business and consumers.</p><p> </p><p>Government has ensured that everyone, including retailers, has access to an affordable postal service for deliveries across the UK via the Universal Service.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 06/06/2019 13:00:26 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4612 label Biography information for Jamie Stone

1129125

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Consumers: Protection
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish his Department's consumer white paper; and whether the white paper will include proposals on the mortgage market.
	tabling member constituency	Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
	tabling member printed	Drew Hendry
	uin	259313
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government’s Consumer White Paper is due to be published later this year. It will report back on the issues raised in the Consumer Green Paper.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 06/06/2019 13:00:14 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4467 label Biography information for Drew Hendry

1129287

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Minimum Wage
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his Department's policy to restore immediately the policy of naming of employers for National Minimum Wage breaches whilst the review of the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme is ongoing.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South
	tabling member printed	Stewart Malcolm McDonald
	uin	259296
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>As announced in the Government response of December 2018, the review of the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage (NMW) Naming Scheme commenced in response to recommendations made by the Director of Labour Market Enforcement in his 2018/2019 Labour Market Enforcement Strategy. Naming of employers for NMW breaches will recommence once that review has been completed.</p><p> </p><p>We are reviewing the effectiveness of the naming scheme to ensure that our enforcement approach balances the need to crack down on the most egregious non-compliant employers with the need to help employers understand their responsibilities and how to comply.</p><p> </p><p>Naming remains an important part of our enforcement toolkit. Enforcement of the national minimum wage and the national living wage is a priority for this Government to ensure that workers receive at least the Minimum Wage. We have more than doubled the budget for minimum wage compliance and enforcement since 2015, to a record high of £27.4 million. This resulted in over 220,000 UK workers receiving a record £24.4 million in arrears last year.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 06/06/2019 13:00:05 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4461 label Biography information for Stewart Malcolm McDonald

1128581

	registered interest
	date	23/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Post Office
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 8 May 2919 to Question 246964 on Post Office, which Ministers met with Tim Parker in the last 12 months.
	tabling member constituency	North Durham
	tabling member printed	Mr Kevan Jones
	uin	257662
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>The Ministers that met with Tim Parker in the last 12 months were myself and the previous Parliamentary Under Secretary of State my hon. Friend the Member for Burton (Andrew Griffiths).</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 06/06/2019 09:34:18 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	1438 label Biography information for Mr Kevan Jones

1128582

	registered interest
	date	23/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Post Office: Corporate Hospitality
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2019 to Question 246968 on Post Office: Corporate Hospitality, which Senior officials accepted hospitality from the Post Office; and what the dates were of the two board dinners hosted by the Post Office.
	tabling member constituency	North Durham
	tabling member printed	Mr Kevan Jones
	uin	257663
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>The hospitality referred to in the answer of 9 May 2019 to Question 246968 consists of five pre-Board dinners and an Awards dinner which the Shareholder Representative Non-Executive Director (Tom Cooper – UK Government Investments) attended as a member of the Post Office Board on 23 May 2018, 30 July 2018, 08 November 2018, 26 November 2018, 28 January 2019 and 25 March 2019 In addition, a member of the Post Office Shareholder Team at UK Government Investments attended the Board’s two-day strategy meeting in lieu of Tom Cooper on 26-27 June 2018, which included an overnight stay provided by Post Office Ltd.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 06/06/2019 09:34:27 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	1438 label Biography information for Mr Kevan Jones

1128583

	registered interest
	date	23/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Post Office
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 8 May 2019 to Question 246965 on Post Office: Civil Proceedings, which Ministers met with Directors and Officials of the Post Office on each of those four occasions; and who were the Directors and Officials were representing the Post Office at those occasions.
	tabling member constituency	North Durham
	tabling member printed	Mr Kevan Jones
	uin	257664
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>The former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State my hon. Friend the Member for Burton (Andrew Griffiths) and I have met with Post Office Chair Tim Parker, former CEO Paula Vennells and Al Cameron, both in his previous capacity as CFOO and in his current capacity as Interim CEO, to discuss a range of issues. They were supported in these meetings by Post Office executive directors covering relevant areas, including Legal, Public Affairs and Financial Services.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 06/06/2019 09:34:39 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	1438 label Biography information for Mr Kevan Jones

1128584

	registered interest
	date	23/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	National Federation of SubPostmasters: Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of whether the Public Grant Funding Agreement between the Post Office and the NFSP Ltd represents value for money for the public purse.
	tabling member constituency	North Durham
	tabling member printed	Mr Kevan Jones
	uin	257665
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK. This is why the Government committed to safeguard the post office network and protect existing rural services. The overall number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over 11,500 branches thanks to significant Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010.</p><p> </p><p>While the Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office, it allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business. Therefore, no assessment has been made regarding this issue as it is an operational matter for Post Office Limited. I have therefore asked Alisdair Cameron, the Group interim Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the hon Member on this matter. A copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 06/06/2019 09:34:47 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	1438 label Biography information for Mr Kevan Jones

1128586

	registered interest
	date	23/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	National Federation of SubPostmasters: Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits that the use of public grant funding between Post Office and NFSP Ltd brings to sub-postmasters.
	tabling member constituency	North Durham
	tabling member printed	Mr Kevan Jones
	uin	257666
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK. This is why the Government committed to safeguard the post office network and protect existing rural services. The overall number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over 11,500 branches thanks to significant Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010.</p><p> </p><p>While the Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office, it allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business. Postmasters and the benefits that they are entitled to is an operational matter for Post Office Limited. I have therefore asked Alisdair Cameron, the Group interim Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the hon Member on this matter. A copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 06/06/2019 09:34:53 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	1438 label Biography information for Mr Kevan Jones