§ Mr. DonohoeTo ask the President of the Board of Trade how many post office staff have left the Post Office as a result of crown post offices being converted to agency status. [16314]
§ Mr. Page[holding answer 27 March 1995]: I understand from the Post Office that some 4,000 staff have left on voluntary redundancy terms since 1989–90 as a result of crown post offices being converted to agency status. Many of them are now working in post offices either as agents or employed by agents.
§ Mr. DonohoeTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what financial benefits the Post Office has obtained during the last and current financial years through the policy of converting crown post offices to agency status. [16312]
§ Mr. Page[holding answer 27 March 1995]: I understand from the Post Office that conversions of crown post offices in the financial year 1993–94 yielded net recurring savings of £3.9 million. The figures for the current financial year are not yet available but are expected to be of a similar amount.
646W
§ Mr. DonohoeTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the crown post offices converted to agency status in Scotland since January 1994 giving the parliamentary constituency within which they lie. [16315]
§ Mr. Page[holding answer 27 March 1995]: I understand from the Post Office that the following 18 crown post offices in Scotland have been converted to agency status since January 1994:
Post Office Parliamentary Constituency Annan Dumfries Anniesland Glasgow Garscadden Blantyre Hamilton Carluke Lanark Castle Douglas Dumfries Charing Cross Glasgow Hillhead Dumbarton Dumbarton Elgin Moray Kirkcaldy Kirkcaldy Livingston Livingston Partick Glasgow Hillhead Peterhead Banff and Buchan Renfrew Paisley North Stranraer Galloway and Upper Nithsdale Thurso Caithness and Sutherland Milngavie Clydebank and Milngavie Newington Edinburgh South Wick Caithness and Sutherland
§ Mr. DonohoeTo ask the President of the Board of Trade how many crown post offices have been converted to agency status in(a) Scotland and (b) throughout the United Kingdom for each financial year since 1989–90. [16313]
§ Mr. Page[holding answer 27 March 1995]: I understand from the Post Office that numbers of crown post offices converted to agency status in Scotland and throughout the United Kingdom in each financial year since 1989–90 are as follows:
Scotland United Kingdom 1989–90 32 153 1990–91 29 164 1991–92 40 147 1992–93 11 108 1993–94 13 117
§ Mr. DonohoeTo ask the President of the Board of Trade how many crown post offices within(a) Scotland and (b) throughout the United Kingdom the Post Office views as appropriate for agency status. [16309]
§ Mr. Page[holding answer 27 March 1995]: I understand from the Post Office that it uses the following criteria for deciding on the appropriateness of agency status for a given office:
the customer service benefit of changing, e.g. longer openinghours, better location;financial benefits;ability to redeploy any surplus staff;availability of a suitable partner to become agent.Since some of these factors have a degree of uncertainty attaching to them, the Post Office does not have a fixed view about the number of crown post offices appropriate for agency status. The Post Office continues to convert crown post offices to agency status where the right circumstances prevail.