HC Deb 07 January 2003 vol 397 cc152-3W
Dr. Cable

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on her plans for Government general practitioner services to be provided in post offices. [88673]

Mr. Timms

As I announced on 15 October, although the outcome of the evaluation of the Your Guide pilot of post offices as Government General Practitioners showed that a publicly funded national Your Guide service would not provide value for money and we therefore decided not to extend it, the pilot did identify opportunities for individual Government Departments to deliver services through post offices in the future. There is also commercial interest in placing kiosks in retail outlets including post offices. It is expected that a commercial kiosk pilot run by E-Daily will start in Cornwall next year and that this will involve a number of post offices. Officials in my Department are in contact with other departments about the potential for using E-Daily as an information channel and I understand that E-Daily is in direct touch with other departments as well as with the National Federation of Sub Postmasters.