Chamber and committees

As members have no further questions, that brings us to the end of this morning’s session. I thank both our witnesses for their evidence, which has been helpful to the committee.

Ofcom recognised that prioritising parcel delivery may have been necessary during the pandemic. Was it policy to prioritise the delivery of parcels over letters during the industrial dispute?

But would Royal Mail incur a penalty if a parcel was not delivered in a certain timeframe?

What if a company is asking you to deliver the parcel? If a person orders something online and the company cannot deliver it, it might ask Royal Mail to do it. Could the company impose a penalty on you if you failed to deliver it in the relevant timeframe, whether that was 24 hours or 48 hours?

Do you not think that that decline is partly to do with the cost? This is very anecdotal, but I know older relatives who th ink, “I’m not going to send a card any more, because it costs £1.10. I’ll send an email instead.” I know that £1.10 is the third of the price of a coffee, but the issue is the perception that people have. The increase in price is encouraging the shift to alternatives. Maybe it is the pace of the increase rather than the amount that is making people feel that they are not prepared to pay the cost. Is that not discouraging them from sending things first class?

Good morning and welcome to the Economy and Fair Work Committee’s 21st meeting in 2023. Apologies have been received from Colin Beattie, and John Mason is attending as a substitute.

I understand that this is likely to be Michelle Thomson’s last meeting with the committee. I thank her for her contribution to the committee and recognise the work that she has done on women in business and women’s representation, which are issues that the committee will endeavour to continue to highlight. I wish her all the best in her next committee.

Our first item of business is a decision on whether to take item 3 in private. Do we agree to take it in private?

Members indicated agreement.

Will that loss—whether it is £4 million or £9 million—have any impact on the overall investment programme of the bank or is that manageable?

Thank you. I bring in Jamie Halcro Johnston.

Finally, in response to Colin Smyth, you talked about whether you could become a public body and where we are in terms of the permissions. I understand that the UK Infrastructure Bank has the ability to invest in public sector bodies. It can do partnerships with local authorities. Can you see the SNIB becoming involved in something like that? I understand that a significant change might be needed to the way in which you operate.

When you were here about a year ago, you described the process of investment and how proposals come to you. You said that you get referrals from the enterprise agencies. Did the enterprise agencies play any part in securing the loan?