AS an MP who receives hundreds of emails a week from constituents needing help on a variety of problems, there is nothing that irks me more than big companies refusing to acknowledge or admit fault.

Admitting fault, in their eyes, costs money. Money is needed to put things right, cover any legal fees and pay for compensation to the other party.

I have been personally involved in a case where a constituent and her young family have been battling a big company for over two years in the course of fixing water damage to the family home.

During that time, she has developed chest problems due to damp and carpal tunnel from having to move heavy buckets of water out of a pool under her hallway floorboards.

There are two questions that arose from all this that I want to address in Parliament;

Why is it that big companies are quick to chase on missed payments but slow to act on complaints?

And why is that, between public bodies and private businesses, is there a one rule for them, and different rule for another?

There is also the on-going concern on accountability when private companies operate public services. There must be better accountability on this, or better, let the state take contracts back off private companies when they fail to deliver.

I will be perusing this constituent’s case in the House of Commons but am minded to think that adding extra regulation to the way companies operate will not be enough.

We see, when it comes to taxes, that companies will always find a way in getting through gaps in the law.

To change things, companies need to change their attitude to their customers. They should be prepared to take the wrap for when things go wrong – maybe, then, the public will perceive them in a more positive light.

Research conducted by YouGov in 2014 showed that the public rated big business owners and managers - 56 compared to nurses, rated at +80%.

And after Carillion collapsing, the hostile takeover of GKN by Melrose and Mark Zuckerberg from Facebook refusing to answer questions from British MPs, big companies have a long way to go in winning back public trust.

In the meantime, all we can do is shine light on big business when they do wrong and recognise those who are doing their bit to rehabilitate their reputations.