§ 38. Mr. FraserTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the future of the sub-post office network in Britain. [111569]
§ Mr. Alan JohnsonThe Government are fully committed to a nationwide network of post offices, and are contributing nearly £500 million towards the cost of equipping the network with a modern, automated, online IT platform. This system, which will be installed at nearly 40,000 counter positions in some 18,000 post offices throughout the country, will enable the Post Office to improve its services to existing clients and to take advantage of new business opportunities in the marketplace. Under the provisions of the Post Office Reform Bill, the Postal Services Commission, assisted by the Post Office Users National Council will monitor developments in the network of post offices against published access criteria. In addition, the Performance and Innovation Unit in the Cabinet Office is carrying out a study to identify the contribution made by post offices to the vitality of local communities, and to consider how the network can best contribute to the Government's objectives for the future.