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1128871

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	Short Time Working: Climate Change
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 merits of working shorter hours to tackle climate change.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	259032
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>The UK is a world leader in cutting emissions while creating wealth. Between 1990 and 2017, the UK reduced its emissions by over 40 per cent while growing the economy by more than two thirds. The Clean Growth Strategy sets out our plans to build on our progress in decarbonising the power sector, while looking further across the whole of the economy and the country. It includes ambitious proposals on housing, business, transport, the natural environment and green finance. We have not made any assessment of the impact of working shorter hours on climate change.</p><p> </p><p>The Government does, though, continue to support flexible working practices, as part of our commitment to ensuring that everyone can access fair and decent work as set out in the Good Work Plan. For example, all employees with 26 weeks’ continuous service with their employer have the right to request Flexible Working. We have also committed to consult on a new duty on employers to consider when a job can be done flexibly, and make that clear when advertising.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 06/06/2019 15:49:59 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

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

1128918

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 Office: 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, how much funding from the public purse has been provided to Post Office Ltd in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Gedling
tabling member printed	Vernon Coaker
uin	258991
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/06/2019 answer text <p>Government subsidy ensures that branches serving our rural communities that need additional support receive it so that they can stay open.</p><p> </p><p>Government subsidy has been declining in recent years; this reflects the progress that the business has made. Post Office Limited returned to profit after 16 years of losses and has thereby reduced its reliance on the taxpayer.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has provided the following funding to the Post Office over the last five years:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Network Subsidy Payment (£ million)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Investment funding</strong> <strong>(£ million)</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014/15</p></td><td><p>160</p></td><td><p>170</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015/16</p></td><td><p>130</p></td><td><p>150</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016/17</p></td><td><p>80</p></td><td><p>140</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017/18</p></td><td><p>70</p></td><td><p>70</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018/19</p></td><td><p>60</p></td><td><p>168</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 11/06/2019 15:49:46 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst previous answer version 121125 answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	360 label Biography information for Lord Coaker

1128919

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 Office: 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 funding from the public purse will be provided to Post Office Ltd in the next three years; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Gedling
tabling member printed	Vernon Coaker
uin	258992
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/06/2019 answer text <p><strong>Draft Answer</strong></p><p>Between 2010 and 2018 the Government provided nearly £2 billion to maintain and invest in our national network. This led to the most stable Post Office network in a generation, with 93% of the population living within 1 mile and over 99% within three miles of their nearest branch.</p><p> </p><p>The funding was split into investment funding to support the modernisation of the network and the business and subsidy payment to sustain those branches that are not sustainable on a commercial basis. Government investment has also enabled the modernisation of over 7,500 branches, added more than 200,000 opening hours per week and established the Post Office as the largest network trading on Sunday.</p><p> </p><p>The current Funding Agreement between BEIS and Post Office Limited runs until the end of March 2021. The funding provided by Government over FY 2019/20 &amp; 2020/21 is as per below:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Network Subsidy Payment (£ million)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Investment funding</strong> <strong>(£ million)</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019/20</p></td><td><p>50</p></td><td><p>42</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2020/21</p></td><td><p>50</p></td><td><p>-</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 07/06/2019 11:57:56 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst previous answer version 121126 answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	360 label Biography information for Lord Coaker

1128920

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	WH Smith: Post Offices
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 agreement they reached with WHSmith’s following the closure of Crown Post Offices; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Gedling
tabling member printed	Vernon Coaker
uin	258993
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2019 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> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 10/06/2019 08:50:41 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	360 label Biography information for Lord Coaker

1128921

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
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 retention of the existing network; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Gedling
tabling member printed	Vernon Coaker
uin	258994
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2019 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> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 10/06/2019 08:50:47 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

1129066

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	Consumer Goods: Safety
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 that the Office for Product Safety and Standards has the (a) powers and (b) resources necessary to issue guidance and protect consumers effectively.
tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
uin	259354
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/06/2019 answer text <p>The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) was set up in January 2018 to boost the UK’s product safety regime and provide national leadership on product safety matters. OPSS currently has access to my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State’s powers under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005. The Government has laid in draft an Order to ensure that OPSS powers reflect those available to other enforcement authorities under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. We will consult on whether further powers are necessary in due course.</p><p> </p><p>OPSS has additional funding on product safety of around £12m this year and the Department will consider OPSS funding requirements for future years in preparation for the next spending review.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 11/06/2019 15:57:09 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1129067

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	Consumer Goods: Safety
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 his Department has made of the effect of reductions in funding on local authorities capacity to enforce product safety measures.
tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
uin	259355
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/06/2019 answer text <p>Local Authorities are independent from central government and are responsible for their own finances and funding decisions, accountable to their local electorates.</p><p>Government identified the need for national leadership and co-ordination of the product safety system and established the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) in January 2018 to fulfil this role.</p><p>OPSS has built capability to lead on national product safety issues. This includes commissioning a strategic research programme; setting up arrangements to deal with national product safety incidents; and forming a trading standards co-ordination unit to support the work that Local Authorities carry out on product safety in their local areas.</p><p>As part of its support for Local Authority Trading Standards, OPSS has made available £600,000 this year to Local Authorities for product safety testing, trained over 700 trading standards staff from 211 Local Authorities and provided scientific and technical support to increase Trading Standards capability on product safety regulation.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 11/06/2019 15:57:39 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes