§ Dr. MarekTo ask the President of the Board of Trade which Crown post offices have been closed in the last 15 years; which have been transferred from one premises to another; and what proposals the Post Office has for further closures or relocations.
§ Mr. EggarI understand from the Post Office that between March 1979 and March 1994 the number of Crown post offices has been reduced from 1,580 to 800. This is not primarily the result of office closures; of this reduction, 675 have been converted to franchise or agency offices either in the same premises or in suitable premises nearby. Such converted offices continue to offer the full range of services available at Crown offices, and in many cases offer longer opening hours and improved access. Of the remaining 105, a number have not involved closure but the merger of two neighbouring Crown offices, again continuing to provide the full range of services.
The Post Office has no plans at present to close or merge any further Crown offices. It does, however, intend to continue the Crown conversion programme, though decisions on such conversions are taken at regional management level. Where a Crown office is considered for conversion, a consultation process is undertaken with the local Member of Parliament and representative local bodies.
The records of individual Crown office closures and mergers since 1979 are not held centrally by the Post Office and collecting this information would entail disproportionate cost.
§ Ms Estelle MorrisTo ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 19 October,Official Report, column 239, what percentage of responses were in favour of (a) granting the Post Office freedoms within the public sector, (b) a 100 per cent. share sale and (c) 654W joint ownership by Government, public and employees with the Government selling 51 per cent. of shares.
§ Mr. EggarAs I indicated in my answer of 19 October,Official Report, column 239, we will make public the results of the consultation at the appropriate point.
§ Mr. HainTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the number of staff and their total salary cost employed at the Post Office headquarters for each year since 1987.
§ Mr. EggarI understand from the Post Office that the information requested is available only from 1990–91 and is as follows:
Year Headquarters Staff Numbers Labour Costs (inc NI Contributions) £ million 1990–91 379 8.9 1991–92 388 9.9 1992–93 359 9.3 1993–94 354 9.9
§ Mr. HainTo ask the President of the Board of Trade how many people were employed as consultants to the Post Office; and what was their total cost in each year since 1987.
§ Mr. HainTo ask the President of the Board of Trade how much corporation tax was paid by the Post Office for each year since 1979 at current prices.
§ Mr. EggarCorporation tax paid by the Post Office in each year since 1979, expressed in September 1994 prices was as follows:
Year £ million 1979–80 1 1980–81 nil 1981–82 nil 1982–83 nil 1983–84 2 1984–85 3 1985–86 2 1986–87 3 1987–88 59 1988–89 40 1989–90 32 1990–91 78 1991–92 72 1992–93 87 1993–94 83
§ Mr. HainTo ask the President of the Board of Trade how many submissions he received on his Green Paper, "The Future of Postal Services", and if he will list those who responded.
§ Mr. Eggar[holding answer 24 October 1994]At the end of the consultation period we had received some 13,400 responses to the Green Paper. It is for respondents to make public the views they expressed if they choose to do so.
§ Mr. HainTo ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) how many of the submissions he received on his Green Paper, "The Future of Postal Services", were in favour of 655W the Government's favoured option; and how many were against;
(2) how many members of the public responded to his Green Paper, "The Future of Postal Services", and how many of them were in favour of breaking up and privatising the Post Office.
§ Mr. Eggar[holding answer 24 October 1994]A wide variety of views were expressed. We will make public the results of the consultation at the appropriate point.