Asked by: David Williams (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure Royal Mail improves first- and second‑class delivery performance following Ofcom’s recent findings and fines.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ofcom, as the independent regulator, is responsible for setting and enforcing Royal Mail’s service standards. I met senior officials from Ofcom on 11 March.
I met Royal Mail’s CEO, Alistair Cochrane, on 3 February to press him on making demonstrable improvements to service levels as a matter of urgency. I will continue to raise concerns with Royal Mail if the company’s quality of service does not improve.
Royal Mail has publicly committed to publishing a detailed deployment and quality of service improvement plan as soon as possible following the conclusion of its discussions with the Communication Workers Union.
Asked by: David Williams (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of Royal Mail’s failure to meet its Universal Service Obligation delivery targets in each of the past three years.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government has been clear that Royal Mail’s service has not been good enough.
Ofcom, as the independent regulator, is responsible for assessing Royal Mail’s compliance with Universal Service Obligation delivery targets. Following investigations into Royal Mail’s performance, Ofcom has taken enforcement action, including issuing financial penalties, where it found that service levels were not met without sufficient justification. It issued a fine of £5.6m for 2022/23, a fine of £10.5m for 2023/24 and a fine of £21m for 2024/25.
Asked by: David Williams (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what safeguards are being put in place to ensure that forthcoming changes to the Universal Service Obligation do not further disadvantage constituents who rely on the timely delivery of essential correspondence, including medical notices and legal documents.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ofcom, as the independent regulator, has a statutory duty to secure the provision of a universal service that meets the reasonable needs of users and to consider the impacts of any changes to the Universal Service Obligation. Ofcom conducted extensive research and public consultation ahead of the decision to change the requirements and has stated that it will continue to monitor quality of service closely and hold Royal Mail to account for improving reliability as reforms are implemented.
Royal Mail has publicly committed to publishing a detailed deployment and quality of service improvement plan as soon as possible following the conclusion of its discussions with the Communication Workers Union.
Asked by: David Williams (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to make it easier for people who cannot use the telephone to communicate changes in their circumstances online.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
We understand that not everyone can use the telephone to communicate with us and we are committed to making our services more accessible, inclusive and responsive to customer needs.
We already offer alternative channels for several services. We’ve successfully launched the ability for customers to request Proof of Benefit evidence online, available 24/7 and used by thousands to access key services without needing to call.
We are continually developing our service, informed by customer needs, to include the capability for customers to communicate changes in their circumstances. The service is being designed as a multi-channel service, enabling people to engage with us through their preferred means.
These improvements are being delivered incrementally, guided by user feedback and inclusive design principles, to ensure our services work for everyone.
Asked by: David Williams (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of allowing private sector organisations to access the Tell Us Once service on (a) the administrative burden on bereaved families and (b) the level of communications from companies to deceased individuals.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Following previous discussions with the Minister for Lords and the Minister for Transformation, Tell Us Once is currently exploring opportunities to expand its existing service offering. The existing capabilities of the system are being investigated to assess whether wider expansion would be viable, or if further digital investment is needed. Digital improvements will assist the service to expand further into the Public Sector with potential opportunity for expansion outside of the Public Sector in the future.
Included in this system assessment is the existing citizen communication route for the bereaved and whether this is meeting user expectations and reducing the administration burden.
The most recent internal evaluations in February 2025 of customer feedback show a satisfaction score of 92% for the online service.
Asked by: David Williams (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the report by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists entitled A Profession Under Pressure, published on 16 July 2025.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapist’s report, ‘A Profession under Pressure’, identified a series of recommendations to help address retention issues in the Speech and Language Therapist workforce.
The report identifies issues around work-life balance, professional development, wellbeing and burnout. This Government is committed to making the NHS the best place to work, to ensure that we retain more of our skilled and dedicated staff and has set out this commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan.
We will publish a 10-Year Workforce Plan later this year setting out how we will ensure staff are better treated, with better training and more fulfilling roles.
Asked by: David Williams (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to have discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the the findings of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists' report entitled, A Profession Under Pressure, published in July 2025.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Speech and Language Therapists break down communication barriers, unlocking learning, inclusion, and opportunity for every child. They play a critical role in early intervention for children and young people. However, they have the second highest waiting list in children’s community services. I am grateful to the Royal College for highlighting these issues in their report.
The department knows that continuing to build the pipeline of speech and language therapists is essential. We are working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to improve access to community health services, including speech and language therapy, for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
Asked by: David Williams (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate her Department has made of the cost of the provision of a hot meal at (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The department spends over £1.5 billion annually supporting schools to provide free meals to around 3.4 million children. We have recently confirmed that free meals will be extended to all households receiving Universal Credit from September 2026. This expansion is being backed by £1 billion in additional funding over the multi-year spending review period and will benefit half a million pupils.
The department provides free school meals (FSM) funding to schools, who have flexibility to provide meals in the way that works best for them. FSM are currently funded at £495 per pupil annually.
As with all programmes, we continue to keep funding for FSM under review to ensure that schools can continue to provide hot and nutritious meals that support pupil attainment and health. Departmental officials meet regularly with the sector, including the school catering industry, and use these insights to inform our work.
Asked by: David Williams (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help prevent financial rewards for water company executives who oversee poor performance.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As part of our Plan for Change, we have put water companies under special measures throughout landmark Water Act.
Ofwat’s new remuneration powers came into force this month. Unfair bonuses have been banned for senior water company executives responsible for serious harm to the environment.
A record 81 criminal investigations have been launched into sewage pollution; the biggest criminal action against water companies in history. Polluting water bosses who try to cover up their offences, now face up to two-year prison sentences.
We have also doubled the level of compensation available to customers for service failures.
Asked by: David Williams (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with energy companies on reforming the energy market.
Answered by Ed Miliband - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
We are continually engaging industry, providing regular updates to energy companies and reflecting on feedback to policy options. This includes the REMA Autumn Update publication, following which we have conducted extensive assessments of both zonal and reformed national market designs.