HC Deb 28 January 2002 vol 379 cc66-7W
Mr. Breed

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Gordon (Malcolm Bruce) of 19 December 2001,Official Report, column 1034W, on sub-post offices, if she will list the funding allocated to each scheme. [30000]

Ms Hewitt

[holding answer 24 January 2002]: Further to the answer given to the hon. Member for Gordon (Malcolm Bruce) on 19 December 2001, Official Report, column 1034W, the funding allocated to the five initiatives is:

  • £13,200 to Capel-le-Ferne, Kent
  • £1,669 to Goadby Marwood, Leicestershire
  • £208 to Risby, Herefordshire
  • £10,200 to Kirk Ireton, Derbyshire
  • £3,862 to Coleby, Lincolnshire.

Mr. Breed

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of Consignia's strategic plan to close post offices in rural communities; and if she will make a statement. [29993]

Ms Hewitt

[holding answer 24 January 2002]: Consignia has submitted no such strategic plan. A formal requirement was placed on Consignia in November 2000 to maintain the rural network and to prevent avoidable closures and this remains in place and will apply in the first instance until 2006. Transitional financial assistance to the rural network is currently under consideration.

Mr. Laws

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many(a) post offices and (b) sub-post offices there are at present in Britain; how many post offices and sub-post offices have closed since (i) 1 January 1997 and (ii) May 1997; and if she will make a statement. [30020]

Ms Hewitt

At the end of September 2001, the latest available figures indicated that the post office network comprised 17,687 outlets of which 17,092 were sub-post offices. As at the end of March 1997 there were 19,251 post offices of which 18,645 were sub-post offices. I understand from Post Office Ltd. that figures at 1 January 1997 and May 1997 are not available.

Mr. Laws

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will publish the strategic plan for the future of the post office network recently submitted to her by Consignia; what proposals are made in this plan to change the size of the post office network; and if she will make a statement. [30019]

Number of businesses using Business Link
1995–96 1996–971 1997–981 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–022
England 3— 455,339 439,604 393,580 419,294 400,813 335,150
North East 3— 37,317 26,954 18,348 22,466 16,577 14,063
North West 3— 79,752 89,056 74,925 75,215 77,930 39,680
Yorkshire and Humber 3— 29,938 40,232 39,577 44,587 38,678 53,743
East Midlands 3— 32,445 25,398 26,635 30,111 24,997 20,845
West Midlands 3— 67,213 49,214 49,176 57,758 53,628 33,229
East of England 3— 71,512 72,346 45,599 47,525 45,072 54,074
London 3— 37,541 36,767 39.877 42,647 36,944 17,779
South East 3— 58,048 59,496 60,928 62,517 72,088 41,979
South West 3— 41,573 40,141 38,515 36,468 34,898 59,758
1 Usage includes non-business assistance
2 Quarter 4 data not included, quarter 3 data subject to validation procedures
3 Not available

Source:

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