§ Mrs. Betty WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether a Your Guide service will be rolled out nationally following a pilot of the concept in Leicestershire and Rutland between July 2001 and March 2002. [74663]
§ Mr. TimmsThe pilot showed that Your Guide was popular but that its impact was limited. It would neither significantly improve Government Departments' ability to meet their objectives nor generate a viable level of income for Post Office Limited and its branches. A publicly funded Your Guide scheme would not therefore represent value for money and we have concluded that it should not be rolled out nationally.
However, Your Guide has highlighted the potential for Government Departments to deliver services through post offices in future. There is also significant commercial interest in placing kiosks in post offices. A commercial kiosk service, based on kiosks in retail outlets—including some sub-post offices—is expected to be piloted in Cornwall from next year.