Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps he is taking to help ensure reliable postal deliveries in Chepstow.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
I have been frank in my conversations with Royal Mail’s leadership and with my statements to the House in recent debates that Royal Mail’s service has been unacceptable for too long, and that the pace of improvement must increase. I will continue to raise issues relating to service performance directly with Royal Mail, including the impact of delays on communities.
Ofcom, as the independent regulator, is responsible for setting, monitoring and enforcing Royal Mail’s service standards under the universal service obligation.
Ofcom is currently investigating Royal Mail’s service performance for 2025-26 and will take regulatory action where necessary to hold the company to account for improving service standards.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps he has taken to ensure adequate HMRC phone line performance.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
Improving day-to-day performance is one of the Government’s key priorities for HMRC.
In 2025-26, HMRC met its headline telephony performance target with 85.1% of customers who wanted to speak to an adviser having their call answered.
HMRC continue to invest in new technology to improve their telephony service.
HMRC are also expanding their digital services so taxpayers can self-serve online, for example through the HMRC app. As more people self-serve online, HMRC’s advisers are able to focus on helping those who are digitally excluded, have complex queries or need extra support.
In July 2026, HMRC set out further information on its wider programme of service improvement in its Transformation Roadmap Update 2026, which can be found here:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-transformation-roadmap-progress-update-2026
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to support households with instability in the price of heating oil.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the particular pressures faced by rural and off-gas-grid households, including the need to purchase heating oil or LPG in bulk and their exposure to sudden price movements.
Earlier this year, £53 million of targeted support was announced for low-income households affected by higher heating-oil costs, including £3.8 million for Wales. Using this funding, the Welsh Government is providing a one-off £200 payment to low-income households that use heating oil or LPG and receive support through the Council Tax Reduction Scheme.
For those considering alternatives to oil heating, the Government is supporting the installation of low-carbon heating through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, for eligible households in England and Wales. A time-limited higher grant of £9,000 is available for eligible off-gas-grid properties replacing oil or LPG heating systems, helping households and small businesses most exposed to volatile fossil fuel prices to switch to low-carbon heating.
In addition, the Government published its formal response to the CMA heating oil report on 13 October, and is taking forward proposals to regulate the heating oil sector for the first time, making sure households who use heating oil are treated fairly. The full Government response is available here:
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps he is taking to help ensure Royal Mail delivers letters to vulnerable people in a timely manner.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The government recognises that many vulnerable people rely on postal services to receive important correspondence.
Royal Mail is an independent business, and the government does not have a role in its day-to-day operational decisions. Royal Mail has its own measures to support vulnerable customers where relevant.
It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator, to monitor Royal Mail’s compliance with its universal service obligation and to take enforcement action where necessary.
Government continues to engage closely with Ofcom and Royal Mail on the quality of service provided, to ensure that all customers, including vulnerable users, receive the service they are entitled to.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of moving to a fully digitalised vocational driving licence application system.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Straightforward applications for vocational driving licences are being processed within normal turnaround times of ten working days.
Applications where a medical condition must be assessed before a licence can be issued can take longer to process as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is often dependent on information from third parties, including medical professionals before a licence can be issued.
While the DVLA plans to enhance the online services available for vocational drivers given the clear advantages for both the DVLA and drivers in doing so, there are no current timescales available.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to reduce waiting times for vocational driving licences for (a) new applicants and (b) renewals.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Straightforward applications for vocational driving licences are being processed within normal turnaround times of ten working days.
Applications where a medical condition must be assessed before a licence can be issued can take longer to process as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is often dependent on information from third parties, including medical professionals before a licence can be issued.
While the DVLA plans to enhance the online services available for vocational drivers given the clear advantages for both the DVLA and drivers in doing so, there are no current timescales available.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent steps she has taken to ensure retired civil servants receive pension a) quotes and b) payments on time.
Answered by Sally Jameson - Parliamentary Secretary and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Cabinet Office awarded Capita the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme in November 2023 under the previous government.
The current delays facing scheme members are entirely unacceptable, and this Government has taken firm action to resolve them through a clear recovery plan with strict delivery milestones. We have deployed additional resources to expedite priority cases, ensuring that serving and former staff receive the high standard of service they deserve. Regular progress updates remain available to members via the pension portal and GOV.UK.
While Capita committed to a complete return to standard contractual service levels
by the end of June 2026, they have failed to meet this critical milestone. The Government is taking robust action to hold Capita to account. This includes withholding £9.9 million in contract payments for undelivered milestones, alongside confirmation that the Government surge team costs will be recovered directly from Capita.
To enforce strict compliance, independent auditors are being deployed to conduct a technical systems review, and an on-the-ground Remedial Adviser has been appointed, at Capita’s expense. Further commercial, legal, and operational options remain on the table during the consideration of long-term structural delivery options.
We have established a new, dedicated virtual surgery process for MPs and their offices. Facilitated by the Cabinet Office Pensions Recovery Taskforce, these sessions run every weekday (Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm) and offer 45-minute slots for one-to-one updates.
We have already had good uptake of these sessions and if your team has not already, I would encourage them to book a session via the booking link here:
https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/t/csps-mp-surgeries/
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of reviewing the law on unfitness to plead.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government agrees there are merits to reviewing the law on unfitness to plead and has accepted the majority of the Law Commission’s recommendations for reform.
The Government is considering how best to take forward these reforms alongside other related areas of criminal responsibility currently under review. It is important that we do this in a coherent and evidence-based way, so that any changes are workable, avoid inconsistency and maintain public confidence.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of including driving instructors under the position of trust law.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government is committed to protecting children and young people from sexual abuse. We have robust legislation in this area, including offences to tackle the abuse of a specified “position of trust” in relation to a child under 18, which apply even in cases of consensual sexual activity. We keep the law under review, including considering whether additional positions should be added to the legislation. We will carefully consider any evidence in relation to additional positions, including driving instructors, that is provided.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps her Department has taken to reduce car driving test wait times at (a) Monmouth test centre, (b) Abergavenny test centre and (c) test centres in South Wales.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has been strengthening the booking system further through major booking reforms (from March–June 2026) to protect access for genuine learners and reduce abuse. It is still too early to draw definitive conclusions, but there are clear early signs, particularly in Wales, that these measures are increasing the availability of test slots, improving access and making the system fairer for learners.
From recent recruitment in South Wales, DVSA has had three new entrants who have successfully completed training and are now conducting tests; one at Abergavenny driving test centre (DTC) and two at Newport DTC.
Abergavenny DTC also has two potential new driving examiners (DE) who are currently in training. There is also another potential new DE for Swansea due to start training in August, with a further two potential candidates undergoing pre-employment checks for Cardiff and Carmarthen respectively.
Where some DTCs have higher wait times across the region, DVSA is looking at bringing in additional resource from other areas to increase test availability.
Additionally, at DTCs in South Wales, 5,168 additional overtime tests were delivered between June 2025 and May 2026 when compared to the previous year. This increase can largely be attributed to the additional test allowance scheme the agency introduced in June 2025.