– in the House of Commons at 3:41 pm on 13 January 2026.
Mark Pritchard
Conservative, The Wrekin
3:41,
13 January 2026
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I seek your guidance. Since Christmas, hundreds of my constituents have not received a single letter via the Royal Mail. That is causing huge anxiety for those waiting for medical results, important documentation, job offers and so on. The local Post Office team of postmen and postwomen have said that it is a result of management decisions at the most senior level. What advice can you give me to pass on to my constituents about the possibility of the Minister responsible for the Royal Mail and postal services coming to the House to make an urgent statement to ensure that this issue is thoroughly and fully investigated and that letters begin to land on doormats once again in Shropshire?
Nusrat Ghani
Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Ways and Means, Chair, Parliamentary Works Estimates Commission, Chair, Parliamentary Works Estimates Commission, Chair, Norwich Livestock Market Bill [HL] Committee, Chair, Norwich Livestock Market Bill [HL] Committee, Chair, General Cemetery Bill [HL] Committee, Chair, General Cemetery Bill [HL] Committee, Chair, Royal Albert Hall Bill [HL] Committee, Chair, Royal Albert Hall Bill [HL] Committee
I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for giving notice that he intended to draw attention to this matter. As he knows, that is not a point of order. He is an experienced Member who serves on the Panel of Chairs, and he does not need any guidance from the Chair on how to take this matter further—no doubt he will pursue it. Those on the Treasury Bench will have heard his request for a statement or response from the appropriate Minister.
Richard Holden
Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker.
Richard Holden
Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
Always, Madam Deputy Speaker.
The Cabinet Office guide to parliamentary work is clear:
“There should be no inconsistencies between the provision of information in answers to written questions and information given under the FOI Act”.
It also states that material disclosable under the Freedom of Information Act should also be disclosed to Parliament. On
Nusrat Ghani
Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Ways and Means, Chair, Parliamentary Works Estimates Commission, Chair, Parliamentary Works Estimates Commission, Chair, Norwich Livestock Market Bill [HL] Committee, Chair, Norwich Livestock Market Bill [HL] Committee, Chair, General Cemetery Bill [HL] Committee, Chair, General Cemetery Bill [HL] Committee, Chair, Royal Albert Hall Bill [HL] Committee, Chair, Royal Albert Hall Bill [HL] Committee
I am grateful to the right hon. Member for giving notice of his point of order. I take it that he has informed Simon Lightwood that he intended to raise the matter in the House.
Richard Holden
Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
indicated assent.
Nusrat Ghani
Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Ways and Means, Chair, Parliamentary Works Estimates Commission, Chair, Parliamentary Works Estimates Commission, Chair, Norwich Livestock Market Bill [HL] Committee, Chair, Norwich Livestock Market Bill [HL] Committee, Chair, General Cemetery Bill [HL] Committee, Chair, General Cemetery Bill [HL] Committee, Chair, Royal Albert Hall Bill [HL] Committee, Chair, Royal Albert Hall Bill [HL] Committee
The right hon. Member is nodding accordingly. As he knows, the Chair is not responsible for the accuracy of ministerial answers—if only we were—but I am sure the Table Office will be able to advise him on how he might pursue the matter further. Once again, I have no doubt that those on the Treasury Bench will have made a note and will pass on that information directly to the Minister involved.
The Deputy speaker is in charge of proceedings of the House of Commons in the absence of the Speaker.
The deputy speaker's formal title is Chairman of Ways and Means, one of whose functions is to preside over the House of Commons when it is in a Committee of the Whole House.
The deputy speaker also presides over the Budget.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
The Speaker is an MP who has been elected to act as Chairman during debates in the House of Commons. He or she is responsible for ensuring that the rules laid down by the House for the carrying out of its business are observed. It is the Speaker who calls MPs to speak, and maintains order in the House. He or she acts as the House's representative in its relations with outside bodies and the other elements of Parliament such as the Lords and the Monarch. The Speaker is also responsible for protecting the interests of minorities in the House. He or she must ensure that the holders of an opinion, however unpopular, are allowed to put across their view without undue obstruction. It is also the Speaker who reprimands, on behalf of the House, an MP brought to the Bar of the House. In the case of disobedience the Speaker can 'name' an MP which results in their suspension from the House for a period. The Speaker must be impartial in all matters. He or she is elected by MPs in the House of Commons but then ceases to be involved in party politics. All sides in the House rely on the Speaker's disinterest. Even after retirement a former Speaker will not take part in political issues. Taking on the office means losing close contact with old colleagues and keeping apart from all groups and interests, even avoiding using the House of Commons dining rooms or bars. The Speaker continues as a Member of Parliament dealing with constituent's letters and problems. By tradition other candidates from the major parties do not contest the Speaker's seat at a General Election. The Speakership dates back to 1377 when Sir Thomas Hungerford was appointed to the role. The title Speaker comes from the fact that the Speaker was the official spokesman of the House of Commons to the Monarch. In the early years of the office, several Speakers suffered violent deaths when they presented unwelcome news to the King. Further information can be obtained from factsheet M2 on the UK Parliament website.
