Post Office Counter Services

HC Deb 27 June 1991 vol 193 cc537-8W

Mr. Amos

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress Post Office Counters has made in implementing the recommendations of the 1988 Monopolies and Mergers Commission report on Post Office counter services at Crown offices.

Mr. Leigh

The Monopolies and Mergers Commission reported on Post Office counter services at Crown offices on 23 June 1988, Cm 398. Post Office Counters' initial response to this report was made available to the House on 21 December 1988,Official Report, columns 265–66. My Department agreed with Post Office Counters a detailed timetable for implementation of the accepted recommendations, and a reporting regime involving interim reports on progress, a main report in mid-1989, Official Report, 27 July 1989, column 812 and a final report in June 1991. I am today placing copies of the final report by Post Office Counters in the Library of the House.

Post Office Counters was able to accept, in whole or in part, 79 of the MMC's 80 recommendations. Action has now been completed on 76 recommendations. Of these, Post Office Counters has concluded, on the basis of detailed work, that two linked recommendations—Nos. 59 and 60—are impractical in the form suggested by the MMC. These recommendations propose that clients should each decide, on the basis of different options presented by Post Office Counters, the size and shape of network that they are willing to pay for. Post Office Counters has accepted the principle lying behind these recommendations, that clients' requirements should inform the provision of services and products, and will continue to look at ways of bringing this principle into their discussions with clients.

Post Office Counters continues to take action on the three remaining recommendations. These are: recommendation 6a, dealing with the charging of occupancy costs for property on an open market rental basis; this depends on hardware and software becoming fully operational, forecast for April 1992; recommendation 18, concerning the assumption by Counters from Royal Mail of responsibility for all stamp vending machines; some of these have required modification to provide consistent customer service, and the handover should be completed by the end of 1991; recommendation 67f, proposing that the costs of the data transmission network he shared among its users; this will be further pursued when the related network automation plans are authorised— (earliest completion date July 1992).

My officials will continue to monitor progress on the implementation of these three outstanding recommendations.

The original report by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission was based on a wide-ranging and thorough review of counter services in Crown offices; I commend Post Office Counters for the conscientious and constructive manner in which it has addressed the MMC recommendations.