§ Mr. HainTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list those remaining Crown post offices which it is intended to convert to privatised status.
§ Mr. McLoughlinNo. Decisions on which individual Crown post offices should be proposed for conversion to agency status are an operational matter for the Post Office. The Post Office always consults publicly on individual proposals in accordance with a code of practice agreed with the Post Office Users National Council.
§ Mr. HainTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what consultations he held with the Post Office on its decision to convert an additional 200 Crown post offices to privatised status; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. McLoughlinI understand that the Post Office has made no decision about the number of Crown offices to be converted to agency status. The Crown office conversion programme delivers costs savings which help to protect the rest of the post office network; it also ensures that the delivery of post office services is responsive to customer needs by, for example, increasing opening hours. My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade does not have detailed discussions with the Post Office on implementation of this programme, which is a matter within their operational responsibility.