Post Office (Hansard, 19 January 2004)

§ Mr. Hoyle
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what talks she has had with trade unions over the future of the Post Office. [148417]

§ Mr. Timms
DTI Ministers and officials meet with union representatives on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of issues.

§ Mr. Hoyle
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on(a) job losses in the Post Office and (b) the future of the Post Office. [148418]

§ Mr. Timms
Job losses in Royal Mail are an operational matter for the Board of Royal Mail in consultation with the unions. They are regrettable, but the Government accepts that cuts are necessary to stem company losses. The company is committed to achieving this through natural wastage, voluntary redundancy and redeployment of surplus staff within other parts of the business, under an agreement reached with the unions.
1040W
The company is now in year two of its three-year renewal programme to secure the future of the company. Progress is encouraging so far, but there is still some way to go. The Government is looking to the Royal Mail Board to drive through the renewal programme and return the company to profitability.

§ Mr. Hoyle
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the future post office network in Chorley. [148645]

§ Mr. Timms
The Government remain fully committed to maintaining a nationwide network of post offices and have invested very substantial sums in supporting the modernisation of the network. I understand that Post Office Ltd. expects to put forward for public consultation its area plan proposals under the urban reinvention programme for Chorley constituency in February or March.

§ Malcolm Bruce
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer given on 8 January 2004,Official Report, column 445W, on post offices, what changes there have been to (a) the number of post offices in each constituency and (b) the number which transact more than 40 per cent. of their work volumes on behalf of the Benefits Agency since 9 January 2003. [148782]

§ Mr. Timms
Post Office Ltd. updates annually its list by parliamentary constituency of post offices, classified as urban or rural. The most recent list available shows the position as at end April 2003 and a copy is available in the Libraries of the House.
A special exercise was undertaken by the Post Office in 1999 to determine the numbers of post offices in each parliamentary constituency and how many of them derive more than 40 per cent. of their income from benefits work. That information is set out in the reply given to the then hon. Member for Birmingham on 29 November 1999, Official Report, column 22W, and remains the latest information available in that form.

§ Malcolm Bruce
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which post office branches in the 20 per cent. most deprived wards in England have(a) been the subject of a closure consultation, (b) had their proposal (i) modified and (ii) withdrawn after public consultation and (c) closed as a result of the Urban Reinvention Programme. [149179]

§ Mr. Timms
Decisions on post office closure proposals under the urban reinvention programme following public consultation are an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. and I have asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

§ Malcolm Bruce
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which sub-postmasters of branches in the 20 per cent. most deprived wards in England have(a) applied for compensation to close their business and (b) been successful in their application; and how much has been paid to them to date. [149180]
1041W

§ Mr. Timms
Decisions on compensation to sub-postmasters are an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. and I have asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

§ Mrs. Calton
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what definition of contiguous population is used by the Post Office for classification of post offices as urban for the purposes of closure; and if she will make a statement. [149213]

§ Mr. Timms
The classification of a post office branch as urban or rural is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. Mapped contiguous built up areas with a population exceeding 10,000 are classified by the company as urban. The company uses a geographical mapping model that enables it to adopt a consistent approach to classification across the country.

§ Mr. Flook
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when sub-post offices in Taunton will learn whether they will be considered for closure under the network re-invention programme. [148506]

§ Mr. Timms
I understand from Post Office Ltd. that urban reinvention area plan proposals for Taunton are scheduled for June 2004.

§ Annabelle Ewing
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has made to the Scottish clearing banks about their participation in the Post Office Universal Bank. [148750]

§ Mr. Timms
As a result of the Secretary of State's discussions with the clearing banks to set up universal banking at the Post Office, the major financial institutions, including the Scottish clearing banks, agreed to provide access at post offices to their basic bank accounts. Those services were launched on schedule on 1 April 2003.
Access to other current accounts at post offices is a commercial matter between the Post Office and individual banks. It is Post Office Ltd. strategy to increase access to banking services. The Government would urge all banks to provide their customers with access to their accounts through post offices. But the decision to do so rests with the individual institutions.

§ Mr. Flook
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many rural sub-post offices closed in(a) England and (b) Somerset in each quarter in each of the last three years. [148505]

§ Mr. Timms
Post Office Ltd. maintain net quarterly closure figures by region/country, not by county and local authority. Decisions on post office closures are an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. and I have asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.