HC Deb 27 February 2002 vol 380 cc1306-7W
Mrs. Browning

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer of 1 February 2002,Official Report, column 612W, on Crown post offices, if the Crown Office network ran at a profit in (a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99, (c) 1999–2000 and (d) 2000–01. [34916]

Mr. Alexander

[holding answer 11 February 2002]: I understand from Post Office Limited that full independent audited accounts do not exist for that part of the overall post office network comprised of directly managed Crown offices for the years listed. However, estimates which allocate cost and income to this part of the network, such as those made by the PIU for 1998–99, would suggest that this part of the network ran at a loss over those years.