§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the closure of post offices since May 1997 on his objective of reducing financial exclusion. [136711]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonBringing those who are currently unbanked into the mainstream banking system will make a major contribution to reducing financial exclusion. The Government—through its £500 million investment in automation of the Post Office network, and its support for Universal Banking Services at post offices—is enabling the Post Office to make banking services more accessible to the financially excluded.