Written questions by Jarvis.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of employment protections for self-employed parcel delivery drivers; what discussions he has had with parcel delivery companies regarding the transparency of payment structures for delivery drivers; whether he has made an assessment of the extent to which self-employed parcel delivery drivers undertake unpaid work; what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of dispute resolution mechanisms available to parcel delivery drivers; what discussions he has had with the parcel delivery industry regarding working conditions and remuneration models for drivers engaged on a self-employed basis; and whether his Department plans to review employment status, pay practices, and contractor oversight in the parcel delivery sector.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment his Department has made of the structure and variability of commission fees charged by ride-hailing platforms to drivers in the UK; and what steps he is taking to ensure transparency and fairness in the relationship between platforms and drivers.

The Department recognises the importance of ride-hailing platforms to the UK transport industry and continues to monitor published research and correspondence on employment practices in the sector.Commission arrangements are a contractual arrangement between the driver and employer. Where a driver is classified as a worker or employee, the employer must comply with employment law, ensuring that drivers receive at least the National Minimum Wage and paid holiday.The Government encourages platforms to operate fairly and is taking steps through its Plan to Make Work Pay, including a consultation on employment status and the establishment of the Fair Work Agency.

If his Department will take steps to help support private gym and health facilities facing rising operating costs.

The Government recognises pressures from rising operating costs on small businesses, including private gyms and health facilities. From April 2026, we are introducing permanently lower business‑rate multipliers for retail, hospitality and leisure properties, worth nearly £900 million a year and benefiting over 750,000 premises.We remain committed to supporting businesses across the economy by reducing the administrative burden of regulation by £5.6 billion this Parliament and providing a £4.3 billion package to protect ratepayers from increases in business rates bills.

What steps he is taking to support businesses with their operating costs.

We are committed to reducing operating costs for all UK businesses, including those in Eastleigh and across Hampshire.We are reducing the annual administrative burden of regulation by £5.6bn by 2029, enabling UK businesses to unlock growth and boost innovation.Introducing e-invoicing will also increase efficiency and streamline tax administration.Tackling late payments will give the UK the strongest legal framework in the G7, intending to legislate as soon as parliamentary time allows. We will publish our response to the late payment consultation setting out the measures we will take forward.In addition, we are protecting full apprenticeship funding and extending it up to under 25s reducing administrative barriers further.

What steps he is taking to support the World Trade Organisation; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the (a) level of global tariff barriers on the effectiveness of the rules-based international trading system and (b) World Trade Organisation on the (i) enforcement of global trade rules and (ii) enhancement of free, non-discriminatory frameworks for trade between countries.

World Trade Organization (WTO) membership has resulted in substantial benefits to our, and the global, economy with WTO research showing Members having increased trade by around 171%, between 1980-2016. However, the WTO needs to evolve to address modern challenges. The UK is actively supporting WTO reform efforts, working with international partners towards a reform outcome at March's Ministerial Conference.The impacts of trade barriers are felt by all countries however the multilateral trading system has shown resilience, with the WTO stating that 72% of global goods trade is conducted under WTO terms as of November 2025.

What discussions his Department has had with relevant stakeholders on the creation of memorials to recognise war-time ammunition factory workers.

The government recognises the hard work of the Munitions Workers and is extremely grateful for their input and sacrifices made during both World Wars.Munitions workers are included on the Women's War Memorial in Whitehall. In addition, several trees have been planted at the National Arboretum in Litchfield and many former factories have memorials including, ROF Swynnerton, ROF Rotherwas and Aycliffe Newton.

What steps his Department is taking to work with the travel industry to help ensure that package holidays sold to UK consumers meet appropriate health and safety standards, and what action is being considered to protect holidaymakers where there are persistent health concerns linked to particular destinations or resorts.

The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 set the consumer protection framework for package holidays and linked travel arrangements. They require organisers to meet specific standards and provide protections such as redress for substandard or unperformed services, refunds for cancellations, and assistance if issues arise during the trip. The Department is in regular contact with the industry to support standards across the sector.Travellers are encouraged to research and plan carefully and consider potential risks, for example by consulting the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office website which provides up-to-date travel advice to help people make informed decisions before booking and travelling overseas.

What progress his Department has made on assessing the beer market to determine potential structural barriers preventing small brewers from accessing pubs.

The Government recognises that independent breweries are essential to the diversity and character of our pubs. We have conducted a review of the beer market to determine whether there are any structural barriers preventing small breweries, the findings from which are currently being considered by ministers. We’ve introduced a Hospitality Support Scheme to co-fund projects aligned with Department for Business & Trade and Hospitality Sector Council priorities, such as supporting initiatives like investing £440,000 to help rural pubs diversify as community hubs, delivered with Pub is The Hub to unlock over 40 stalled projects. We also maintain regular engagement with trade bodies such as Society of Independent Brewers, as well as colleagues across government, to ensure that policy decisions are informed by the latest evidence and genuinely support the sector’s long-term stability.

What steps his Department is taking to help promote the growth of independent brewers in Eastleigh constituency.

The Government recognises that independent breweries are essential to the diversity and character of our pubs. We have conducted a review of the beer market to determine whether there are any structural barriers preventing small breweries, the findings from which are currently being considered by ministers. We’ve introduced a Hospitality Support Scheme to co-fund projects aligned with Department for Business & Trade and Hospitality Sector Council priorities, such as supporting initiatives like investing £440,000 to help rural pubs diversify as community hubs, delivered with Pub is The Hub to unlock over 40 stalled projects. We also maintain regular engagement with trade bodies such as Society of Independent Brewers, as well as colleagues across government, to ensure that policy decisions are informed by the latest evidence and genuinely support the sector’s long-term stability.

What steps he is taking to support pubs with operating costs in Eastleigh constituency.

My department works closely with hospitality businesses to assess impact of rising operating costs across energy, staffing, compliance and taxation. This includes regular engagement with the sector, including through the Hospitality Sector Council which provides a formal forum to co-create solutions to pressures facing the industry. We also maintain regular engagement with trade bodies such as UKHospitality and the British Beer and Pub Association, as well as colleagues across government, to ensure that policy decisions are informed by the latest evidence and genuinely support the sector’s long-term stability.

What steps his Department is taking to improve the clarity of guidance available to individuals applying for non-disclosure of address orders in insolvency cases.

The Insolvency Service has published guidance on the government website www.gov.uk to explain how an individual can apply for a Person at Risk of Violence order (PARV order) to prevent their address being disclosed in insolvency cases. The guidance relates to bankruptcy applications. The only amendment currently being made to this guidance removes references to a fee being payable to the court when a PARV order application is made.

What steps he is taking to monitor the level of administrative charges by Royal Mail applied to unstamped mail.

Royal Mail is an independent business. The government does not have a role in its operational decisions. The operation and administration of Royal Mail’s products and services, including stamps and associated surcharges, is a matter for the business. This includes the authority to apply administrative charges to unstamped mail.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the Armed Forces Covenant Duty across his Departmental responsibilities.

The Government’s election manifesto committed to placing the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law. During Armed Forces week in June, the Prime Minister announced that Military personnel, veterans, their families and the bereaved are to have their unique circumstances legally protected by central and devolved governments for the first time under new plans to extend the Covenant Legal Duty to more policy areas and across the UK. The Covenant Legal Duty will now be extended from three policy areas to encompass 14 policy areas in a much broader scope. The policy areas are healthcare, education, housing, social care, childcare, employment and service in the Armed Forces, personal taxation, welfare benefits, criminal justice, immigration, citizenship, pensions, service-related compensation and transport. The Government aims to make the changes in the next Armed Forces Bill, anticipated in 2026.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 77729 on Horizon IT System: Compensation, whether his Department has a timeline for when this process will be available to claimants.

The Government is committed to ensuring that postmasters receive full and fair financial redress as quickly as possible. While we are not yet able to confirm a specific timeline due to the complexity of these cases where there is no evidence of shortfalls, work is progressing at pace. Work is underway to resolve claims where postmasters are awaiting Fixed Sum Offers under the Horizon Shortfall Scheme due to a lack of available data to verify that shortfalls occurred.

Whether he plans to (a) expand the role of post offices as one-stop-shops for a range of needs and (b) enhance their role in government service delivery.

Government published a Green Paper on 14 July, seeking views on the future of the Post Office, from the services it provides, how we modernise and strengthen the network, through to changing the culture and the way in which the Post Office is managed.The consultation closed on 6 October and we thank all individuals and organisations for their detailed responses to our Green Paper which included proposals on expanding the role of post offices and on the provision of Government services. Government is carefully considering all responses to the Green Paper and aims to respond in early 2026.

What estimate he has made of the number of high-skilled jobs that will be created through the Life Sciences Sector Plan; and what steps he is taking to ensure that these will be distributed across regions.

The Life Sciences Sector Plan sets out a long-term vision to grow the UK's life sciences sector and create high-skilled jobs nationwide. In 2023/24, the sector employed almost 360,000 people across the UK. Around 60% of employment in the sector is based at companies registered outside of the London and South East regions. Many actions in the Plan - including a £520m innovative manufacturing fund - are designed to create and safeguard high-skilled, high-wage jobs. Our funds have already delivered over 1,900 jobs, with significantly more expected as the £520m scheme progresses. We will keep working with industry to address priority skills gaps.

Whether his Department plans to review the exemption of small care companies from submitting audited accounts under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006.

The Government has delivered legislation which has increased the monetary size thresholds for micro-entities, small, medium-sized and large companies. This has extended access to the small companies audit exemption to 14,000 companies reclassified from being medium-sized to small. Together, the measures in this legislation are already saving UK businesses £240 million per year.The Government is continuing to work to identify reforms to company reporting and audit requirements to reduce the administrative burden of regulation. We will consult further in due course.

What steps his Department is taking to promote workplace diversity and inclusion.

DBT’s Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Framework - Embracing Fairness for All (2024-28) is aligned to the cross-Civil Service strategy and includes specific actions such as training to build inclusive line management capability. The framework sets out our approach to D&I, aiming to enhance opportunity, fairness and belonging for all our people, in all our locations by using data to ensure it is evidence led. We work with our Diversity and Inclusion Networks to collaborate and engage on D&I activity.

Whether he has made an assessment of whether the processes used by Uber to deactivate drivers from its platform complies with UK employment law.

The Government does not make individual assessments of companies' compliance with employment law. The Supreme Court's 2021 ruling on Uber drivers established that many drivers should be classified as workers with corresponding rights under UK employment law. Enforcement of employment law is undertaken by appropriate regulatory bodies including HMRC for National Minimum Wage, the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, and ultimately the employment tribunal system.Any worker who believes their rights have been breached can seek redress through an employment tribunal, which determines compliance on a case-by-case basis.

Whether he has had discussions with (a) tea industry representatives, (b) Fairtrade organisations and (c) international partners on ensuring that tea (i) farmers and (ii) other workers receive a living wage in (A) Kenya and (B) other producing countries.

No, we have had no such specific discussions, but we actively engage with Kenyan counterparts and remain committed to promoting fair trade and workers' rights, including decent working conditions and living wages.