§ Mr. Hancock:To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make it her policy to urge the Post Office to organise public meetings (a) before decisions are made about closures and (b) for each individual closure proposal once the decisions are made on a particular area; and if she will make a statement. [131432]
§ Mr. Timms:The development of post office closure proposals under the urban reinvention programme and the associated public consultation arrangements are operational matters for Post Office Ltd. within the framework of the Code of Practice agreed with Postwatch.
§ Mr. Hancock:To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on her policy on the (a) proposals by the Post Office to close post offices in South Portsmouth in 12 months and (b) closure by the Post Office of financially viable local offices. [131433]
§ Mr. Timms:Post Office Ltd. has recently put forward to public consultation its post office closure proposals for Portsmouth, South constituency under its revised arrangements for the urban network reinvention programme whereby proposals are put forward on an area-by-area basis using Parliamentary constituencies as a guide. This will result in a 'once over the ground' approach bringing clarity and greater certainty to the future shape of the network in each area. Public consultation has been extended From four to six weeks.
Post Office Ltd.'s area closure proposals are determined by a range of factors including the numbers of offices in close proximity to each other and current 152W and projected business volumes. The aim of the programme is to create a sustainable network of viable urban post offices.
§ Mr. Hancock:To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much compensation has been paid to the Post Office for their closure programme; and how much more is expected to be paid. [131434]
§ Mr. Timms:Parliament has approved funding of up to £180 million for compensation payments under the urban post office network reinvention programme. To date, £38,554,936 has been paid to Post Office Ltd.
§ Mr. Hancock:To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received about the proposals by the Post Office to close local post offices in South Portsmouth; what has been her response; and if she will make a statement. [131435]
§ Mr. Timms:Five letters have been received from the hon. Member from Portsmouth, South and one joint letter from Councillors Goble, Andrew and Bentley of Portsmouth city council. The responses explained the rationale for the urban post office network reinvention programme and that the process to determine the closure of individual offices is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. which they carry out in accordance with the formal public consultation process under the Code of Practice agreed with Postwatch.
§ Mr. Hancock:To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make representations to the Post Office about the number of proposed closures of local post offices in South Portsmouth; and if she will make a statement. [131436]
§ Mr. Timms:Proposals for post office closures and final decisions on them, following public consultation under the Code of Practice, are operational matters for Post Office Ltd. The Government do not have a role in the process to determine the closure of individual post offices.
§ Miss McIntosh:To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many rural sub-post offices have closed since 1 March. [131484]
§ Mr. Timms:I understand that Post Office Ltd. produces information on post office closures on a quarterly basis. For the quarter up to the end of March 2003, there were 61 net closures throughout the rural post office network with 43 net closures in the quarter to end of June 2003, the latest quarter for which figures are currently available.
§ Keith Vaz:To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices she has visited since she took up her appointment. [131721]
§ Mr. Timms:My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State visits post offices regularly in her capacity as the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, in her capacity as a Member of Parliament, and as a customer.