Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of trends in consumer satisfaction with customer service provision across key regulated sectors.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Access to customer service channels is not something that has been raised recently by my Department or the consumer groups and representative bodies we regularly meet.

My Department regularly reviews research, and notes that the most recent UK Customer Satisfaction Index found 83.2% of customer experiences were right first time, the highest recorded since the UKCSI has been running (2008).

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what engagement his Department has undertaken with consumer groups regarding access to customer service channels.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Access to customer service channels is not something that has been raised recently by my Department or the consumer groups and representative bodies we regularly meet.

My Department regularly reviews research, and notes that the most recent UK Customer Satisfaction Index found 83.2% of customer experiences were right first time, the highest recorded since the UKCSI has been running (2008).

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has considered introducing minimum accessibility standards for customer service functions to ensure consumers can access a human representative where necessary.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Legislation provides the redress rights for consumers. Beyond this, the government does not generally intervene in how businesses choose to conduct their activities as this is a commercial decision.

Businesses have a legal obligation under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (CCRs), when trading with consumers, to provide contact information in a clear and comprehensible manner which is easily, directly and permanently accessible. This includes the business name, the geographical address where the business is established, a telephone number, and email address to allow consumers to make contact quickly and efficiently if there is a problem. Failure of a trader to provide the information required under the CCRs is a breach of contract and can result in a claim being brought by the consumer.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of existing consumer protection legislation in the context of companies that provide customer support solely through automated systems.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Everyone should be able to benefit from the digital world – helping families save money, get a better job, and access services like the NHS more easily. But we know some people face real barriers. That’s why government published the Digital Inclusion Action Plan and launched the £11.9 million Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund, helping more people across the UK get the access, skills and confidence to get online.

Legislation provides the redress rights for consumers. Beyond this, the government does not generally intervene in how businesses choose to conduct their activities as this is a commercial decision.

However, we encourage key private sector services important to people’s daily lives – like banking, utilities and online shopping – to prioritise inclusive digital services and government remains committed to working with industry and the voluntary sector to explore opportunities to align.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that reliance on automated customer service systems does not impede consumers’ ability to make complaints or seek redress.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Everyone should be able to benefit from the digital world – helping families save money, get a better job, and access services like the NHS more easily. But we know some people face real barriers. That’s why government published the Digital Inclusion Action Plan and launched the £11.9 million Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund, helping more people across the UK get the access, skills and confidence to get online.

Legislation provides the redress rights for consumers. Beyond this, the government does not generally intervene in how businesses choose to conduct their activities as this is a commercial decision.

However, we encourage key private sector services important to people’s daily lives – like banking, utilities and online shopping – to prioritise inclusive digital services and government remains committed to working with industry and the voluntary sector to explore opportunities to align.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what data his Department holds on consumer complaints relating to the inability to contact a human representative when seeking to resolve disputes.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Everyone should be able to benefit from the digital world – helping families save money, get a better job, and access services like the NHS more easily. But we know some people face real barriers. That’s why government published the Digital Inclusion Action Plan and launched the £11.9 million Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund, helping more people across the UK get the access, skills and confidence to get online.

Legislation provides the redress rights for consumers. Beyond this, the government does not generally intervene in how businesses choose to conduct their activities as this is a commercial decision.

However, we encourage key private sector services important to people’s daily lives – like banking, utilities and online shopping – to prioritise inclusive digital services and government remains committed to working with industry and the voluntary sector to explore opportunities to align.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with major digital service providers regarding access to non-automated customer service channels.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Everyone should be able to benefit from the digital world – helping families save money, get a better job, and access services like the NHS more easily. But we know some people face real barriers. That’s why government published the Digital Inclusion Action Plan and launched the £11.9 million Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund, helping more people across the UK get the access, skills and confidence to get online.

Legislation provides the redress rights for consumers. Beyond this, the government does not generally intervene in how businesses choose to conduct their activities as this is a commercial decision.

However, we encourage key private sector services important to people’s daily lives – like banking, utilities and online shopping – to prioritise inclusive digital services and government remains committed to working with industry and the voluntary sector to explore opportunities to align.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with the Competition and Markets Authority regarding the transparency of customer service access routes offered by large digital companies.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

My Department regularly meets with the Competition and Markets Authority, but has not recently discussed transparency of customer service access routes offered by large digital companies.

Legislation provides the redress rights for consumers. Beyond this, the government does not generally intervene in how businesses choose to conduct their activities as this is a commercial decision.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how dementia care will be reflected in revisions to the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has been clear that the 2023 Long Term Workforce Plan was undeliverable and based on outdated models of care. We have committed to publishing a new 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. We are working through how the plan will articulate the changes for different service areas.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with integrated care boards on commissioning specialist dementia support services.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Under the 10-Year Health Plan, those living with dementia and frailty will benefit from improved care planning and better services. We will deliver the first ever Modern Service framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care. The commission is underway and phase one will report this year.

The Modern Service framework for Frailty and Dementia will seek to reduce unwarranted variation and narrow inequality for those living with dementia and frailty. It will support this by setting national standards for dementia and frailty care and redirecting National Health Service and adult social care priorities to provide the best possible care and support.

In developing the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia, we are engaging with a wide group of partners to understand what should be included to ensure the best outcomes for people living with dementia. Provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). We would expect ICBs to commission services, which may include specialist dementia support services, based on local population needs, taking account of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the impact of automated customer service systems, including chatbots and AI-based systems, on consumers’ ability to exercise their statutory rights.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Everyone should be able to benefit from the digital world – helping families save money, get a better job, and access services like the NHS more easily. But we know some people face real barriers. That’s why government published the Digital Inclusion Action Plan and launched the £11.9 million Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund, helping more people across the UK get the access, skills and confidence to get online.

Legislation provides the redress rights for consumers. Beyond this, the government does not generally intervene in how businesses choose to conduct their activities as this is a commercial decision.

However, we encourage key private sector services important to people’s daily lives – like banking, utilities and online shopping – to prioritise inclusive digital services and government remains committed to working with industry and the voluntary sector to explore opportunities to align.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential implications of increased AI deployment in customer-facing services for consumer protection online.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government aims for the UK to be a global leader in AI, using our strengths in AI to boost growth, productivity and consumer benefits. Safe and trustworthy deployment is central to this.

We are taking action to support the UK’s AI assurance market and enable consumers to be confident that the services they use will work as intended. This includes establishing an £11 million AI Assurance Innovation Fund to support the development of new, innovative assurance techniques for the most capable AI systems, launching the new Centre for AI Measurement at the National Physical Laboratory, and convening a consortium of stakeholders to work towards a future AI assurance profession.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government plans to apply the same inheritance tax treatment used for the infected blood compensation scheme to future comparable schemes.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Some payments made under Government established compensation schemes will not give rise to an income tax liability. This is because payments intended to compensate individuals for personal injury would generally fall within established tax principles that treat compensation for personal injury as non-taxable. If payments are made which specifically represent loss of earnings, they will be subject to income tax under miscellaneous income rules.

Beyond this, tax exemptions for individual schemes will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Given the historic nature of the Infected Blood Scandal and the reduced life expectancy of Infected Blood recipients, many individuals will have passed away before they could receive their compensation. This means that concerns around the impacts of secondary transfers are particularly acute in the case of Infected Blood compensation. For this reason, we have taken steps to extend the inheritance tax relief for this scheme.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what criteria the Government uses to determine whether payments made under a Government compensation scheme are exempt from (a) income tax and (b) inheritance tax.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Some payments made under Government established compensation schemes will not give rise to an income tax liability. This is because payments intended to compensate individuals for personal injury would generally fall within established tax principles that treat compensation for personal injury as non-taxable. If payments are made which specifically represent loss of earnings, they will be subject to income tax under miscellaneous income rules.

Beyond this, tax exemptions for individual schemes will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Given the historic nature of the Infected Blood Scandal and the reduced life expectancy of Infected Blood recipients, many individuals will have passed away before they could receive their compensation. This means that concerns around the impacts of secondary transfers are particularly acute in the case of Infected Blood compensation. For this reason, we have taken steps to extend the inheritance tax relief for this scheme.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the Bereavement Support Payment in the context of trends in the cost of living.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) is intended to provide support during the acute period following a bereavement when people may face sudden costs or disruption. Where longer-term income support is needed for everyday living costs, qualifying individuals can access Universal Credit, which is generally increased in line with inflation.

The rate of Bereavement Support Payment is reviewed on a discretionary basis each year as part of the annual uprating process.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to her Department’s Statement of Strategic Priorities for Ofcom, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of role of the Competition and Markets Authority in sustaining network competition in the fixed broadband market.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Competition and Markets Authority’s role is to effectively investigate, as needed, mergers and anti-competitive practices in the fixed telecoms market in order to promote competition and protect consumers to drive economic growth and improve household prosperity, and works as appropriate with Ofcom as the sector regulator in doing so.