Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
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 help ensure timely postal deliveries by Royal Mail.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Last year, I met the CEOs of Royal Mail and its parent company and raised concerns about Royal Mail’s performance. They reported continued targeted action to improve reliability. I will continue to raise concerns with Royal Mail if the company’s quality of service does not improve.
It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to set and monitor Royal Mail’s service standards and decide how to use its powers to investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification.
In October last year, Ofcom fined Royal Mail £21 million for failing to meet its quality of service targets and has told Royal Mail it must urgently publish and implement a credible plan that delivers major and continuous improvement.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions her Department has had with constabularies on reducing response times for burglary and neighbourhood crime.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government's Safer Streets Mission sets a clear expectation for policing to deliver safer communities and improved public confidence. We are committed to giving forces the resources they need to keep the public safe.
It is for Chief Constables and directly elected PCCs, and Mayors with PCC functions to make operational decisions based on their local knowledge and experience. This includes how best to allocate all the resources at their disposal to provide responses to emergency calls alongside all the other services and support they provide to communities.
The 2025-26 final police funding settlement provides up to £19.6 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. Total funding to police forces will be up to £17.6 billion, an increase of up to £1.2 billion compared to the 2024-25 police funding settlement - a significant increase, and more than the increase last year. This equates to a 7.1% cash increase, and 4.6% real terms increase in funding. This includes £376.8 million for officer maintenance and an additional £200 million to kickstart the first phase of 13,000 additional police officers, PCSOs and special constables into neighbourhood policing roles.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average waiting time is for repairs requested through the Defence Infrastructure Organisation.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The table below details the average repair response times for Emergency, Urgent and Routine maintenance tasks by Ministry of Defence (MOD) contractors for Service Family Accommodation (SFA) in the UK in November 2025:
Average | Amey Performance | VIVO Performance | Acceptable Level of Performance as per Contract |
Average Completion Time – Emergency | 1 hour 37 mins | 1 hour 39 mins | Respond and make safe within 2 hours. Then allocated as Urgent or Routine. |
Average Completion Time – Urgent | 45 hrs 32 mins | 29 hours 12 mins | Attend and rectify within 48 hours. |
Average Completion Time – Routine | 9.82days | 10 days | Attend and rectify within 10 days. |
Single Living Accommodation (SLA)
The table below details the average repair response by MOD contractors for Single Living Accommodation across the UK Built Estate in November 2025:
Average | Average Completion Time in Hours | Acceptable level of Performance |
Emergency | 4 hrs 34 mins | Make safe immediately |
Critical | 6.39 days | Restore functionality in up to 12 hours. Permanent resolution up to 12 working days. |
Urgent | 18.61 days | Restore functionality in up to 5 working days. Permanent resolution up to 20 working days. |
Routine | 18.45 days | Permanent resolution up to 20 working days. |
Contractor performance for both SFA and SLA meets the Key Performance Indicators for response times as set out in the contacts.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department’s current forecast is for its staffing requirements in benefit processing centres for the next financial year.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department continually impacts and assesses the service being offered to customers. Staff numbers are reviewed on an ongoing basis, in line with the latest economic and benefit forecasts.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what evaluation has been undertaken of access to specialist educational provision for children with acquired brain injuries; and whether additional support is planned for emerging specialist schools such as those in Stockton-on-Tees.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Children who have had a brain injury can be affected in different ways. Some brain injuries will result in a special educational need (SEN) or a medical need, whilst others may affect a child in other ways. In whatever way a brain injury manifests, it is essential that the pupil’s individual needs are identified and supported appropriately.
Schools must make arrangements to support their pupils with medical conditions and must make reasonable adjustments to their practices, procedures and policies and not discriminate against their disabled pupils.
The governing body should ensure that sufficient staff have received suitable training and are competent before they take on responsibility to support children with medical conditions. They should also ensure that any members of school staff who provide support to pupils with medical conditions, or those with SEN, are able to access information and other teaching support materials as needed.
Mainstream schools must use their best endeavours to meet the special educational needs of their pupils, which includes those with acquired brain injury. Where needs are more complex the school may request the local authority to conduct an education, health and care needs assessment.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps are being taken to improve early identification of cognitive, behavioural, and emotional needs arising from acquired brain injury in children, particularly within school settings.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Children who have had a brain injury can be affected in different ways. Some brain injuries will result in a special educational need (SEN) or a medical need, whilst others may affect a child in other ways. In whatever way a brain injury manifests, it is essential that the pupil’s individual needs are identified and supported appropriately.
Schools must make arrangements to support their pupils with medical conditions and must make reasonable adjustments to their practices, procedures and policies and not discriminate against their disabled pupils.
The governing body should ensure that sufficient staff have received suitable training and are competent before they take on responsibility to support children with medical conditions. They should also ensure that any members of school staff who provide support to pupils with medical conditions, or those with SEN, are able to access information and other teaching support materials as needed.
Mainstream schools must use their best endeavours to meet the special educational needs of their pupils, which includes those with acquired brain injury. Where needs are more complex the school may request the local authority to conduct an education, health and care needs assessment.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has been made of the adequacy of training for teachers and education support staff on recognising and supporting pupils with acquired brain injuries.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Children who have had a brain injury can be affected in different ways. Some brain injuries will result in a special educational need (SEN) or a medical need, whilst others may affect a child in other ways. In whatever way a brain injury manifests, it is essential that the pupil’s individual needs are identified and supported appropriately.
Schools must make arrangements to support their pupils with medical conditions and must make reasonable adjustments to their practices, procedures and policies and not discriminate against their disabled pupils.
The governing body should ensure that sufficient staff have received suitable training and are competent before they take on responsibility to support children with medical conditions. They should also ensure that any members of school staff who provide support to pupils with medical conditions, or those with SEN, are able to access information and other teaching support materials as needed.
Mainstream schools must use their best endeavours to meet the special educational needs of their pupils, which includes those with acquired brain injury. Where needs are more complex the school may request the local authority to conduct an education, health and care needs assessment.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the weighted scores given to the academic studies reviewed by Natural England in its paper on the effects of managed burning (NEER155); and if whether she will publish them.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
No such assessment has been made by Defra. This is because NEER155 went through rigorous peer review prior to publication, with all external peer reviewers being leading peatland experts at major universities and other expert institutions.
NEER155 is the most comprehensive evidence review available on the effects of managed burning on upland peatlands.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment has the Government has made of the potential impact that extending VAT Deemed Reseller rules to include UK sellers could have to closing the tax gap.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has and will continue to engage with stakeholders to understand the impact of any changes to online marketplace liability rules on both platforms and sellers. Certified analysis by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimates the current online marketplace liability rules, together with the abolishment of Low Value Consignment relief, will raise £1.8 billion per annum by 2026-27.
HMRC has an overall compliance strategy which focuses on addressing all forms of non-compliance. The most recent published VAT gap shows a continued downward trend, falling from 13.7% to 5.4% between tax years 2005/06 and 2023/24.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when she plans to publish the outcome of the review of the VAT Deemed Reseller rules announced in April 2025.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has and will continue to engage with stakeholders to understand the impact of any changes to online marketplace liability rules on both platforms and sellers. Certified analysis by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimates the current online marketplace liability rules, together with the abolishment of Low Value Consignment relief, will raise £1.8 billion per annum by 2026-27.
HMRC has an overall compliance strategy which focuses on addressing all forms of non-compliance. The most recent published VAT gap shows a continued downward trend, falling from 13.7% to 5.4% between tax years 2005/06 and 2023/24.