HC Deb 30 November 2000 vol 357 cc739-42W
37. Mr. Swayne

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with the European Commission regarding his proposals for a national bank in post offices. [139569]

Mr. Alan Johnson

The European Competition Commissioner has been informed about the new package of measures to modernise the post office network, including universal banking, and my officials are in contact with the European Commission.

Mrs. Ray Michie

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many sub-post offices have(a) reduced opening hours and (b) closed (i) permanently and (ii) on a temporary basis since June 1999; how many have subsequently been re-opened (A) in Scotland and (B) in each Scottish local authority area; and if he will make a statement. [138993]

Mr. Alan Johnson

[holding answer 21 November 2000]: I am advised by the Post Office that their records are maintained on a financial year basis and that for the year to end March 2000, 380 sub-post offices in Scotland were classified as operating a reduced opening hours service. During the 1999–2000 financial year there was a net closure of 29 sub-post offices in Scotland, all on a temporary basis. The Post Office does not hold figures by local authority area.

Mr. Martyn Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made on support for pilot projects to enable post offices to become(a) one-stop shops and (b) general Government practitioners in Wales. [141157]

Mr. Alan Johnson

This is a matter for the devolved Administration.

Miss McIntosh

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received on the application of climate change levy charges to rural post offices which are customers of Northern Electric and Gas; and if he will make a statement. [140881]

Mr. Alan Johnson

The Department of Trade and Industry has received no representations from rural post offices about the climate change levy. We are aware that energy supply companies, including Northern, are in the process of writing to all their non-domestic customers, forewarning them of the inclusion of the climate change levy on their energy bills following 1 April 2001. The climate change levy is intended to increase energy efficiency across all sectors of business, and will help the UK to meet its Kyoto targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and move towards our domestic goal to cut CO2 emissions by 20 per cent. Some of the revenues from the levy will be used for energy efficiency initiatives which will help small businesses.

Mr. Sanders

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what formal requirements there are for the Post Office to keep open(a) rural and (b) urban sub-post offices; and if he will make a statement. [140452]

Mr. Alan Johnson

As recommended in the Performance and Innovation Unit report, a formal requirement has been placed upon the Post Office to maintain the rural network and to prevent any avoidable closures of rural post offices. A rural post office is defined as one serving a community of up to 10,000 inhabitants.

Mr. Yeo

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices, including sub-post offices, have closed in(a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years in areas defined as rural and areas defined as urban; and to publish the criteria used to define an area as rural or urban. [136721]

Mr. Alan Johnson

[holding answer 6 November 2000]: For the years from March 1991 to March 1998, a reliable split between rural and urban offices is not available. Total net closures for these years were as follows:

Year to end March Number
1991 233
1992 478
1993 202
1994 176
1995 175
1996 193
1997 163
1998 243

Closures
Year to end March Rural Urban
1999
England -167 -18
Scotland -25 0
Wales -10 -3
Northern Ireland -12 +2
2000
England -271 -92
Scotland -30 +1
Wales -40 +54
Northern Ireland -2 -2

Notes:

The figures shown are net closures, indicated by a minus sign, or net openings, indicated by a plus sign.

The urban closure data include data anomalies between countries caused by revisions of codings.

The net total figures for the United Kingdom are correct but the ongoing process of revising data has affected individual country totals.

In the figures above the Post Office has defined rural offices as those located in a community of fewer than 6,300 inhabitants. In the light of the Performance and Innovation Unit Report (which defined a rural post office as one located in a community of up to 10,000 inhabitants), the Post Office is currently agreeing with the Postal Services Commission a process and format for reporting information on the network including the definitions that will be used. The Government definition of a rural post office is one located in a community of up to 10,000 inhabitants.

Mr. Heathcoat-Amory

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many sub-post offices have closed in the last six months in(a) urban and (b) rural areas. [140167]

Mr. Byers

I understand from the Post Office that figures for the six months until the end of October are not available.

Mr. Lilley

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Post Office proposal to offer retirement and pensions services and information for the over-55 year group will require sub-post office staff to register with the Financial Services Authority. [140264]

Mr. Byers

[holding answer 24 November 2000]: The Post Office has no proposals to offer financial advice on retirement pension provision.

Mr. Lilley

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Performance and Innovation Unit has made an estimate of the number of mergers of sub-post offices required by its recommended programme of modernisation for the urban network. [140263]

Mr. Byers

[holding answer 24 November 2000]: The Performance and Innovation Unit has not made such an estimate.

Mr. Drew

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the age profile was, in five year periods, for owners of sub-post offices in(a) 1980, (b) 1990 and (c) currently. [140094]

Mr. Byers

Information for 1980 and 1990 is not available. Currently the age profile of sub-postmasters is as follows:

Age range Number
Up to 20 7
21–25 108
26–30 311
31–35 645
36–40 1,947
41–45 2,454
46–50 3,199
51–55 3,454
56–60 2,513
61–65 1,239
66–70 477
71–75 217
76 and over 166

The number of sub-postmasters shown in the table is not the same as the number of sub-post offices. Sub-postmasters may operate more than one outlet.

Mr. Hammond

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what pressure he plans to bring to bear on the Post Office to end the practice of demanding substantial premiums from retailers willing to take over a discontinued sub-post office business. [140131]

Mr. Alan Johnson

I understand from the Post Office that among the measures taken to protect the post office network, and smaller post offices in particular, they have in recent years raised the threshold of the introductory payments for taking on a sub-post office. Such payments do not apply to offices for which the post office remuneration is less than £14,000 a year. I have asked the Post Office to consider whether more can be done to make the contractual terms and arrangements more flexible and attractive to prospective subpostmasters.