Commons Debates Migration, Pensions and Royal Mail Performance
High-Level Summary
The day covered Home Department questions on migration, policing, antisocial behaviour and violence against women and girls, followed by statements on civil service pensions and rough sleeping and good growth. The Home Affairs Committee presented its inquiry into work-based immigration, while the Scottish Affairs Committee reported on defence skills and jobs in Scotland. A Backbench Business debate examined Royal Mail’s performance, regulation, workforce pressures and possible ownership models; the motion was agreed. The sitting concluded with committee membership changes, three petitions and an adjournment debate on jobs and employment in Staffordshire, after which the House adjourned.
Detailed Summary
Home Department questions: migration, policing and public protection
Questions covered small boat crossings and returns, foreign national offenders, the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), European Union co-operation, indefinite leave to remain, knife crime, antisocial behaviour, illegal use of e-bikes and e-scooters, police funding and local policing. Shabana Mahmood said returns had increased and defended remaining within the ECHR; she said the policy on indefinite leave to remain had not yet been settled: “the policy on indefinite leave to remain will be settled in due course.” Sarah Jones said respect orders for persistent antisocial behaviour had been introduced, with guidance published and initial court cases expected shortly.
Members questioned the scale and speed of removals, the use and cost of asylum accommodation, the Government’s ECHR position and proposed settlement reforms. Ministers said the Immigration and Asylum Bill would reform appeals and human-rights provisions, enable the removal of some offenders after sentencing and strengthen modern-slavery arrangements. Anna Turley said that more than 11,700 foreign national offenders had been removed since the Government took office, an increase of 41% compared with the previous two years. The Government also committed to reviewing the police funding formula, considering further action on illegal e-bikes and e-scooters, meeting Members about local cases and working with devolved Administrations where relevant. No division is recorded in the transcript.
Independent review into Henry Nowak’s death and topical Home Department matters
In topical questions, Shabana Mahmood announced an independent review led by the former Lord Chancellor, the right hon. Alex Chalk KC. It will examine what was known about the perpetrator of Henry Nowak’s death, whether there were missed opportunities to intervene, and the Nowak family’s experience of the criminal justice system. Once the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has concluded its investigation into the police response, the review will also consider the IOPC’s actions and, if necessary, those of the police. Mahmood said: “The full terms of reference have been published today.” An initial report is due within five months.
Further questions covered settlement proposals, refugee pathways for Afghan women and girls, asylum accommodation, serious and organised crime on online marketplaces, firearms licensing, hate crime and Police Federation governance. Ministers offered meetings or follow-up discussions on matters including Wethersfield, Scottish Borders accommodation, individual deportation cases and modern slavery. During a point of order concerning the tone of exchanges, the Speaker said: “how we treat each other matters.”
Civil service pensions: Capita administration
Sally Jameson reported continuing problems with Capita’s administration of the civil service pension scheme. She said Capita had missed earlier recovery milestones, while the remedial adviser’s report identified insufficient rectification planning, weak technology and inadequate mechanisms for detecting and escalating failure. Cabinet Office officials now have full access to Capita’s systems and data and are working with it on a five-workstream recovery plan covering cases by complexity, major exercises including the McCloud remedy, and technology. Capita must write to every member with a complex case within the following month, and fortnightly updates will report outstanding complex cases and service levels. Jameson emphasised: “Capita remains absolutely accountable for service delivery.”
Members described delayed retirement quotes, unpaid pensions, bereavement cases, incorrect calculations, a reported data breach and financial hardship. The Minister said officials were focusing on resolving relevant bereavement cases before the two-year point, Capita had committed to paying interest on late payments, and the Government were committed to ensuring that no member was financially worse off as a result of the failures. Nearly £10 million in contractual payments has been withheld, while Capita is receiving 10% less in monthly payments. The Government will assess future delivery models, including insourcing. No firm completion date was set for the recovery plan; Jameson said that if rapid improvement was not seen over the following month, she would return to the House to explain the next steps.
Rough sleeping, homelessness and good growth funds
Florence Eshalomi announced an additional £432 million from the following year to support a route off the streets for everyone sleeping rough by Christmas, bringing total funding for the Prime Minister’s pledge to £874 million. She said the programme would combine accommodation with longer-term support for health, substance misuse, employment and other needs, and would be locally led. She also announced £285 million for 2027-28 in good growth and transitional capital funding, plans for a £1.5 billion borrowing facility from 2028, and £150 million in 2027-28 to strengthen strategic authorities. The Chancellor is expected to confirm the plans and a fiscal devolution road map at the Budget. Eshalomi said: “Rough sleeping does not stop at council boundaries.”
Opposition Members questioned the cost, delivery timetable, rural provision and the record of previous initiatives. Eshalomi said the funding would support wraparound services rather than represent a fixed amount per rough sleeper, and that councils would have funding for the next three years. She said rural and urban areas required different approaches, charities and faith groups should be supported, and work with the Ministry of Justice would seek to ensure that people leaving prison had safe accommodation. Further work was indicated on local connection rules, reporting on prison-leaver accommodation, local housing allowance and cross-border placements. No division is recorded in the transcript.
Home Affairs Committee: work-based immigration
Karen Bradley presented a new Home Affairs Committee inquiry based on deliberative workshops in North Tyneside, Leicester and Renfrewshire involving 89 participants. The workshops distinguished legal migration from irregular migration and produced 13 principles. The highest-ranked principle was that “the Government should focus on training, upskilling and employment opportunities for UK residents, especially young people, before relying on migrant labour.” Other priorities included infrastructure, workforce planning and protection from abuse by employers.
The inquiry will examine how immigration policy is linked to skills policy, the skilled worker visa, labour shortages, the Labour Market Evidence Group and departmental decision-making. Members raised sector-specific issues including sheepshearers, fishing, high-end chefs and care workers, including the risks created when a worker’s immigration status depends on a single sponsor. Bradley said the inquiry remained open to evidence and that the Committee would decide on oral witnesses after considering submissions. She will return with the inquiry’s conclusions and the Government’s response in due course.
Scottish Affairs Committee: defence skills and jobs
Patricia Ferguson presented the Scottish Affairs Committee’s report on maximising the benefits to Scotland of anticipated increased defence spending. The report identified shortages in engineering, fabrication, welding, software, cyber and advanced manufacturing, and called for closer co-operation between the UK and Scottish Governments on apprenticeships, technical education, innovation and supply chains. It supported two proposed Defence Technical Excellence Colleges (DTECs) in Scotland. The Scottish Government had confirmed the required match funding, meaning that “both DTECs now going ahead.” The Committee nevertheless urged faster delivery.
The report questioned whether Scotland’s share of the £20 million devolved-nations skills package was sufficient, called for clear measures of success for the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Office for Small Business Growth, and raised barriers to procurement and the debanking of defence-related small and medium-sized enterprises. Members supported wider engagement on the defence sector while recognising the right to peaceful protest. The Committee will consider the Government’s response and may revisit several issues during the Parliament.
Backbench Business: performance of Royal Mail
The House debated a motion expressing concern about Royal Mail’s performance and urging the Government to work with the company to improve it. Members across parties reported delayed letters, missed medical appointments, late financial and legal documents, problems with postal votes and weaker service in rural and digitally excluded communities. They generally distinguished between criticism of Royal Mail’s management and support for postal workers. Chris Bloore cited performance against delivery targets and argued that fines had not produced improvement, asking for stronger regulation, a level playing field with parcel operators, workforce protections and an emergency summit. The Minister later stated: “Royal Mail’s performance has not been good enough.”
The debate also covered the universal service obligation, the new delivery model, local performance data, alleged parcel prioritisation, pay and retention, economy mail and whether Royal Mail should be brought back into public ownership or reintegrated with the Post Office. The Government said Ofcom was considering alleged parcel prioritisation as part of its investigation and expected it to publish findings in the coming weeks. The Minister and the Secretary of State were due to meet Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) the following week. She said she would consider requests for additional Ofcom powers and had raised concerns about the need for more granular local data. The motion was agreed; no division is recorded in the transcript: “That this House is concerned about the performance of Royal Mail; and urges the Government to work with Royal Mail to improve its performance levels.”
Business without debate, petitions and Staffordshire employment debate
The House ordered grouped changes to membership of several departmental Select Committees, including the Business, Innovation, Science and Trade; Defence; Home Affairs; Scottish Affairs; Transport; Treasury; and Work and Pensions Committees. Three petitions were presented: for a pedestrian crossing on the A34 at Tittensor, keeping Ward End Fire Station open, and consideration of a bank windfall tax. The Tittensor petition requested “that the House of Commons urge the Government to compel Staffordshire county council to deliver a crossing”.
In the adjournment debate on jobs and employment in Staffordshire, Adam Jogee called for investment in youth employment, skills, transport, advanced manufacturing and ceramics, and criticised Staffordshire County Council’s engagement and service delivery. Andrew Western said the Government were supporting rural employment through localised plans, expanded jobs and careers services, outreach and jobcentre visiting officers. He also said he would raise Members’ concerns with the relevant departments and the county council, and referred to the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire local skills improvement plan and advanced manufacturing technical education provision. The adjournment question was agreed: “Question put and agreed to.” The House then adjourned.