§ Mr. SternTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make it his policy to support the recommendations of the Institute of Directors for full privatisation of the Post Office with no protected monopoly or uniform price guarantee.
§ Mr. HainTo ask the President of the Board of Trade how much has been spent by his Department on preparations for the privatisation of the Post Office since he announced his review of its ownership and structure in the House in July 1992.
§ Mr. Eggar[holding answer 24 October 1994]: The Government announced their intention to privatise Parcelforce on 15 July 1992 and announced the review of 557W the structure and organisation of the Post Office on 29 July 1992. From those dates to 24 October 1994 a total of £1,613,002.28 has been spent on consultancy advice.
§ Mr. HainTo ask the President of the Board of Trade how much has been spent by the Post Office on making the case for its own privatisation since he announced his review of its ownership and structure in the House in July 1992.
§ Mr. HainTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what guidelines he has issued to the Post Office on expenditure incurred by it arguing for its own privatisation.
§ Mr. HainTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will instruct the Post Office board, with effect from the announcement of his review of the structure and ownership of the Post Office in July 1992, to embargo any moves of senior personnel from Post Office Counters to Royal Mail or Parcelforce if his plans go ahead.
§ Mr. HainTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has for the operation of the Post Office Investigation Department if he privatises Royal Mail but keeps Post Office Counters in the public sector.
§ Mr. Eggar[holding answer 24 October 1994]: The Green Paper makes it clear that the future of activities which are not part of Post Office Counters, Royal Mail or Parcelforce will depend on the decisions reached overall.
§ Mr. HainTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what account he has taken of a copy of a report by London Economics entitled "The Future of Postal Services - a critique of the Government's Green Paper", a copy of which has been sent to him; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Eggar[holding answer 24 October 1994]: We have read the London Economics report with considerable interest. In the Government's view it has not fully dealt with the difficulties in its proposals, but it is a worthwhile contribution to the debate.
§ Mr. HainTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what account he has taken of a MORI poll conducted in August on the views of the Post Office managers on privatisation; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Eggar[holding answer 24 October 1994]: We have taken full account of all considered responses to the Green Paper.
§ Mr. HainTo ask the President of the Board of Trade how many individual submissions he received from sub-postmasters on his Green Paper, "The Future of Postal Services"; and what account he has taken of an opinion poll conducted by MORI in August on the views of sub-postmasters about privatisation.
§ Mr. Eggar[holding answer 24 October 1994]: We have received very few responses from individual sub-postmasters. We are aware of the opinion poll referred to.
§ Mr. HainTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to extend VAT to(a) contract parcels traffic undertaken by the Post Office and (b) Royal Mail letter and packet traffic.
558W
§ Mr. Eggar[holding answer 24 October 1994]: The Green Paper "The Future of Postal Services" made clear that the universal letter and parcels services, which under any option Royal Mail and Parcelforce will continue to provide, will remain exempt from VAT. It also made clear that the Government would be considering, in the light of EC law, the imposition of VAT on non-obligatory services, including contract parcels, provided by Royal Mail and Parcelforce. No decision has been taken.
§ Mr. HainTo ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he has quantified the estimated value of the new commercial freedoms to be made available to Post Office Counters, outlined in his Green Paper, "The Future of Postal Services"; and whether this value will exceed the estimated value of the business lost by Post Office Counters over the next five years as Government Departments and the Royal Mail move business away from them.
§ Mr. Eggar[holding answer 24 October 1994]: No. Any projections about increases in volume from new business, or increases or decreases in existing business, are an operational matter for Post Office Counters.
§ Mr. HainTo ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what was the response of the Mail Users National Council to his Green Paper, "The Future of Postal Services", and when he last met its representatives;
(2) what was the response of the Post Office Users National Council to his Green Paper, "The Future of Postal Services"; and when he last met its representatives;
(3) what was the response of the Periodical Publishers Association to his Green Paper, "The Future of Postal Services"; and when he last met its representatives;
(4) what was the response of the Direct Marketing Association to his Green Paper, "The Future of Postal Services"; and when he last met its representatives;
(5) what was the response of Protecting Postal services to his Green Paper, "The Future of Postal Services"; and when he last met its representatives.
§ Mr. Eggar[holding answers 24 October 1994]: It is for respondents to make public their views if they choose to do so. I have met none of the organisations mentioned. My hon. Friend The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Industry and Energy met representatives of the Post Office Users National Council on 8 September and of the Protecting Postal Services on 12 September.