Post Offices (Wales)

HC Deb 29 October 2001 vol 373 cc506-7W

Mr. Simon Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices(a) opened and (b) closed in Wales in each of the last three years. [8777]

Mr. Alexander

I am informed by the Post Office Ltd. that historical data on the numbers of post office openings and closures are not maintained separately. The numbers of post offices operating in Wales over the last three financial years were as follows:

	Number
End March 1998	1,513
End March 1999	1,501
End March 2000	1,470
End March 2001	1,402

I am informed by the Post Office that an on-going revision of data has affected individual country totals. I also understand that, across the UK as a whole, of the closures in the year ending March 2001, the Post Office designate only four as permanent.

A £2 million fund to support relocation and refurbishment initiatives by volunteer or community groups to maintain or reopen post office facilities in rural areas where the traditional post office is closing received parliamentary approval in July.