Written questions by Morello.

What guidance his Department provides to the Post Office to ensure continuity of service in areas served by mobile post offices.

The Government sets the overall access criteria for the Post Office network, but day‑to‑day operational matters – including the deployment and management of mobile post office services – are the responsibility of the Post Office. Where mobile units are temporarily unavailable due to repair or maintenance, the Post Office works to restore services as quickly as possible and to minimise disruption for the communities affected.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that communities relying on a mobile post office service continue to have provision when vehicles are undergoing repair or maintenance.

The Government sets the overall access criteria for the Post Office network, but day‑to‑day operational matters – including the deployment and management of mobile post office services – are the responsibility of the Post Office. Where mobile units are temporarily unavailable due to repair or maintenance, the Post Office works to restore services as quickly as possible and to minimise disruption for the communities affected.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of regulations allowing people whose companies’ debts are written off to retain personal wealth on public confidence in (a) fraud investigation and (b) public bodies.

There are no plans for any such assessment.Companies are separate legal entities from their directors; those directors only become liable for company debts in limited circumstances. This protection encourages entrepreneurship and is central to the health of the UK economy.Most companies become insolvent for genuine reasons, however insolvency office-holders have wide powers to recover funds from directors who have not acted in the company’s best interests. The Insolvency Service may also take disqualification action against reckless or dishonest directors and can apply for a compensation order against them, as well as prosecute breaches of company and insolvency legislation.

Whether he plans to review company insolvency rules that permit company directors to retain significant personal assets following corporate bankruptcy.

Companies are separate legal entities and directors only become liable for company debts under limited circumstances. This protection encourages entrepreneurship and is central to the health of the UK economy. Most companies do not become insolvent due to any wrongdoing by the company directors. However, when there is evidence of misconduct, the Insolvency Service may take action to disqualify a director, and where the disqualified director’s conduct has caused a quantifiable loss, can apply to the court for a compensation order to recover personal assets for the benefit of creditors. There are no plans to review this legislation.

What steps he is taking to improve public awareness of the potential impact of fireworks on animals in (a) rural constituencies and (b) West Dorset constituency.

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of unregulated fireworks use on animal welfare, or merits of restricting sales of high-noise fireworks. Building on the work of my predecessor, I will continue to engage with stakeholders, including veterinary organisations, to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks to inform any future action. The Government launched a public campaign on fireworks safety for this year’s fireworks season. The campaign includes guidance for those running community events, which encourages the use of low-noise fireworks and social media posts that emphasise the risks from the misuse of fireworks.

Whether his Department plans to review the licensing regime for fireworks.

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of unregulated fireworks use on animal welfare, or merits of restricting sales of high-noise fireworks. Building on the work of my predecessor, I will continue to engage with stakeholders, including veterinary organisations, to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks to inform any future action. The Government launched a public campaign on fireworks safety for this year’s fireworks season. The campaign includes guidance for those running community events, which encourages the use of low-noise fireworks and social media posts that emphasise the risks from the misuse of fireworks.

What recent discussions he has had with veterinary organisations on the effects of fireworks noise on dogs and companion animals in (a) rural constituencies and (b) West Dorset constituency.

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of unregulated fireworks use on animal welfare, or merits of restricting sales of high-noise fireworks. Building on the work of my predecessor, I will continue to engage with stakeholders, including veterinary organisations, to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks to inform any future action. The Government launched a public campaign on fireworks safety for this year’s fireworks season. The campaign includes guidance for those running community events, which encourages the use of low-noise fireworks and social media posts that emphasise the risks from the misuse of fireworks.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of restricting the sale of high-noise fireworks in response to reports of harm to livestock and working farm dogs in West Dorset.

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of unregulated fireworks use on animal welfare, or merits of restricting sales of high-noise fireworks. Building on the work of my predecessor, I will continue to engage with stakeholders, including veterinary organisations, to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks to inform any future action. The Government launched a public campaign on fireworks safety for this year’s fireworks season. The campaign includes guidance for those running community events, which encourages the use of low-noise fireworks and social media posts that emphasise the risks from the misuse of fireworks.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of unregulated fireworks use on animal welfare in (a) rural constituencies (b) West Dorset constituency.

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of unregulated fireworks use on animal welfare, or merits of restricting sales of high-noise fireworks. Building on the work of my predecessor, I will continue to engage with stakeholders, including veterinary organisations, to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks to inform any future action. The Government launched a public campaign on fireworks safety for this year’s fireworks season. The campaign includes guidance for those running community events, which encourages the use of low-noise fireworks and social media posts that emphasise the risks from the misuse of fireworks.

Whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to strengthen protections for small businesses against “phoenixing” as part of the Government’s late payment reforms in West Dorset constituency.

This Government will legislate to end the scourge of late payments which costs the UK economy £11bn per year and closes down 38 UK businesses every day. We published a consultation on our proposed legislative measures on 31st July which is live until 23rd October.The Insolvency Service is committed to working closely with HMRC and Companies House to tackle the harm caused by companies who use ‘Phoenixing’ as a means of avoiding liabilities. There is a range of ongoing activity being led by the Treasury that includes a desire to develop a detailed cross-government threat assessment.

Whether his Department plans to introduce (a) additional regulatory and (b) enforcement measures to prevent directors of insolvent companies from engaging in phoenixing.

The Government is keenly aware of concerns around “phoenixing”, and officials at The Insolvency Service are currently conducting a comprehensive review of the civil enforcement regime to evaluate how best to tackle and prevent wrongdoing by directors of insolvent or dissolved companies. Measures were also announced at both the Autumn Budget 2024 and the Spring Statement 2025 committing HMRC, the Insolvency Service and Companies House to increase collaboration to tackle those using contrived corporate insolvencies and dissolutions (often referred to as ‘phoenixism).

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the (a) prevalence of phoenixing and (b) potential impact of phoenixing on small businesses.

The Insolvency Service is committed to working closely with HMRC and Companies House to tackle the harm caused by companies who use ‘Phoenixing’ as a means of avoiding liabilities. There is a range of ongoing activity set out in the recent Treasury Minutes – CP 1306 including a desire to develop a detailed cross-government threat assessment.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of costs of (a) energy, (b) water and (c) business rates on the viability of pubs in West Dorset constituency.

The Government recognises the significant pressures facing the hospitality sector, including pubs in West Dorset, due to rising costs and the Government is providing support through various measures to help ease these pressures.We aim to permanently reduce business rates for RHL properties with a rateable value of less than 500,000 and we have announced a new Zero Carbon Services Hospitality trial which aims for Pubs, cafes, restaurants and hotels to receive free energy and carbon cutting advice to slash their energy bills as part of the government’s Plan for Change.Additionally, the Department will continue to engage with the sector, including through the Hospitality Sector Council with an aim to co-create solutions to the issues impacting business performance.

What steps his Department is taking to support the marketing and export of wine produced in West Dorset constituency.

DBT supports wine producers in West Dorset and across the UK through a wide range of export initiatives and skills development programmes. The Business Academy offers free training and expert guidance to help businesses access international markets, complemented by one-to-one support from International Trade Advisors. The Export Support Service also provides direct assistance with customs, logistics, and regulatory advice. To boost global visibility, DBT facilitates trade missions to key international markets and champions the work of WineGB at major trade shows and Embassy tastings. This helps showcase award-winning wines including from West Dorset– such as Langham Wine Estate – to buyers and distributors around the world.

If he will have discussions with Ofcom on the adequacy of parcel delivery firms in ensuring consistent delivery standards in rural communities.

Ofcom is the independent regulator for the postal sector with the responsibility and powers to regulate postal services.Ofcom engages regularly with parcel operators to understand their approach to implementation of Ofcom’s consumer protection measures. The results of its most recent survey research on consumer satisfaction with parcel delivery services is published in Ofcom’s 2023-24 Post Monitoring Report: www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/postal-services/monitoring-reports/2023-2024/post-monitoring-report-2023-24.pdfOfcom is committed to ongoing monitoring of market performance and will consider enforcement action if appropriate to do so.

If he will have discussions with Ofcom on (a) monitoring and (b) reporting on the quality of parcel delivery services in rural areas.

Ofcom is the independent regulator for the postal sector with the responsibility and powers to regulate postal services.Ofcom engages regularly with parcel operators to understand their approach to implementation of Ofcom’s consumer protection measures. The results of its most recent survey research on consumer satisfaction with parcel delivery services is published in Ofcom’s 2023-24 Post Monitoring Report: www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/postal-services/monitoring-reports/2023-2024/post-monitoring-report-2023-24.pdfOfcom is committed to ongoing monitoring of market performance and will consider enforcement action if appropriate to do so.

If he will have discussions with Ofcom on measures to hold parcel delivery companies to account for (a) delayed and (b) failed deliveries in rural areas.

Ofcom is the independent regulator for the postal sector with the responsibility and powers to regulate postal services.Ofcom engages regularly with parcel operators to understand their approach to implementation of Ofcom’s consumer protection measures. The results of its most recent survey research on consumer satisfaction with parcel delivery services is published in Ofcom’s 2023-24 Post Monitoring Report: www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/postal-services/monitoring-reports/2023-2024/post-monitoring-report-2023-24.pdfOfcom is committed to ongoing monitoring of market performance and will consider enforcement action if appropriate to do so.

If he will have discussions with Ofcom on the average time taken for parcel deliveries in (a) rural and (b) urban areas.

Ofcom is the independent regulator for the postal sector with the responsibility and powers to regulate postal services.Ofcom engages regularly with parcel operators to understand their approach to implementation of Ofcom’s consumer protection measures. The results of its most recent survey research on consumer satisfaction with parcel delivery services is published in Ofcom’s 2023-24 Post Monitoring Report: www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/postal-services/monitoring-reports/2023-2024/post-monitoring-report-2023-24.pdfOfcom is committed to ongoing monitoring of market performance and will consider enforcement action if appropriate to do so.

Whether he plans to introduce paid carer’s leave for employees with caring responsibilities.

The Plan to Make Work Pay set out a commitment to review the implementation of carer’s leave and to look at where any improvements may be needed. This work is underway and will include examining the benefits of paid leave, while being mindful of the impacts on businesses.To ensure transparency through this programme of work, we will set out a clear timeline for the remainder of the review in autumn this year. We will also run a public consultation in 2026 on employment support for those balancing work with unpaid care.

Whether his Department discussed the recruitment of general practitioners trained in India to practise in the UK during negotiations on the UK-India free trade agreement.

We have agreed a Professional Services Annex, which will require UK and India to identify and encourage mutually interested relevant bodies to enter into negotiations on mutual arrangements for recognition of professional qualifications. Regulated professions, which include dentists, pharmacists and medical practitioners in the UK, will be within the scope of the annex. These commitments will not affect the autonomy of UK relevant bodies nor compel them to engage in dialogues where there is no mutual interest.The ability of Indian professionals to supply professional services in the UK will remain subject to the UK's domestic regulatory and immigration systems.