Consignia (Hansard, 17 January 2002)

§ Mr. Randall
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions she has had with Consignia regarding recruitment of delivery staff in London. [26706]

§ Mr. Alexander
The Department has regular discussions with Consignia about a range of strategic issues facing the company. However, the recruitment of delivery staff is an operational issue for the company.

§ Mr. Waterson
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when a new Chairman of Consignia will(a) be appointed and (b) take up his duties. [26565]

§ Mr. Alexander
Arrangements are in hand to recruit and appoint a new Chairman of Consignia. Recruitment consultants have been engaged and the post has recently been advertised in the press.
In the interim the Board of Consignia have asked Allan Leighton to chair the board.

§ Mr. Waterson
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what factors will affect her decision as to whether Consignia should pay a dividend to Her Majesty's Government for the current financial year. [26567]

§ Mr. Alexander
In line with the proposals set out in the White Paper "Post Office Reform: A World Class Service for the 21st Century", a number of commercial factors will need to be considered when deciding whether Consignia should pay a dividend to HMG.