Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Gareth Thomas and Peter Swallow

Thursday 1st May 2025 Commons Chamber

[Peter Swallow (Bracknell) (Lab)]

T5. This month I met Berkshire Growth Hub, which works with businesses in Bracknell and beyond on everything from starting up to opportunities in AI. How can we ensure that growth hubs work with Skills England to continue to deliver local growth in communities such as mine?

[Gareth Thomas]

I commend my hon. Friend for meeting with Berkshire Growth Hub. Growth hubs play a crucial role in local economies. We want to supplement their work with our business growth service, which is set to launch later this year, and we are working with Skills England to identify the skills shortages in particular areas. I am happy to ensure that Skills England talks to Berkshire Growth Hub through my hon. Friend, so that the particular skills challenges in Berkshire are understood by Skills England.

Future of the Post Office

Debate between Gareth Thomas and Peter Swallow

Wednesday 13th November 2024 Commons Chamber

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

If everybody gives short questions—and short answers, Minister—we can get this done in the next 15 minutes.

[Peter Swallow (Bracknell) (Lab)]

My constituents in Crowthorne are rightly proud of our high street, but as there is no direct access on that street to banking services or a post office branch, they struggle to access vital services. Does the Minister agree that today’s announcement highlights the need to roll out more banking hubs, while setting out a viable future for post offices, so that communities such as mine can access the vital services they need?

[Gareth Thomas]

I agree with my hon. Friend that we need to see a faster roll-out of banking hubs. Given that the Conservative party sat back and did nothing while 9,500 bank branches closed, the urgency of the task of rolling out banking branches and improving the banking offer through the post office is acutely felt by my Department.