§ Mr. GibbTo ask the Secretary Of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the proposed closure of the Pagham branch post office as set out in the Post Office Limited press release of 28 May. [118043]
§ Mr. TimmsPost Office Ltd.'s proposal to close the Pagham post office branch has been made under the company's urban reinvention programme.
Decisions on post office closures and relocations are an operational matter for the company. It would be inappropriate for the Government to intervene in determining individual closures. That has been the 1108W policy of successive Governments since 1969 when the Post Office was established as a statutory public corporation.
In accordance with the Code of Practice on Post Office Closures and Relocations—agreed between Post Office Ltd. and Postwatch, the consumer watchdog for postal services—the company enters into consultation on all proposed closures for a period of not less than one calendar month. Postwatch are consulted on every post office closure proposal before a decision is made and there is an opportunity for those affected by a proposal, and the local MP, to make representations to the company or to Postwatch before a final decision is made.
§ John BarrettTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post office closure decisions under the urban reinvention programme have been reversed following public consultation. [117096]
§ Mr. TimmsDecisions on post office closure proposals under the urban reinvention programme following public consultation are an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. and I have asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.
§ John BarrettTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices have closed under the urban reinvention programme, broken down by region. [117097]
§ Mr. TimmsI understand from Post Office Ltd. that the number of post office closures under the urban reinvention programme are analysed by Government region on a quarterly basis. The following chart represents the number of urban reinvention closures, by region, as at the end of March 2003.
1109W
Urban reinvention closures by region Region End of March 2003 East Midlands 7 East of England 11 London 11 North East 4 North West 10 Northern Ireland 0 Scotland 8 South East 19 South West 9 Wales 9 West Midlands 7 Yorkshire and Humberside 7 Total 102
§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many(a) post offices and (b) sub-post offices have been closed within the Greater London area in each of the last three years. [117152]
§ Mr. TimmsI understand from Post Office Ltd. that as at the end of each of the last three financial years, the number of post office closures in London was as follows:
Of the 44 closures in the period 2002/03, 11 were compensated closures attributable to Post Office Ltd.'s programme to restructure the urban network of post offices. The increase in unplanned closures underlines the need for the company's urban reinvention programme under which the company is seeking to match the scale of the network to the volume of business available, and so ensure a viable network for the future.
- 2000–01–10
- 2001–02–16
- 2002–03–44
§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much time is allotted for public consultation on the proposed closure of post offices within the Greater London area. [117153]
§ Mr. TimmsIn accordance with the Code of Practice on Post Office Closures and Relocations—agreed between Post Office Ltd and the consumer body Postwatch—a period of not less than one calendar month is allowed for consultation on a proposed post office closure.
§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post office branch closures over the last 12 months have been opposed by Postwatch; if he will list them; and how many of these post offices have(a) remained open, (b) had the decision to close postponed and (c) been closed or set for closure. [117270]
§ Mr. TimmsDecisions on post office closure proposals under the urban reinvention programme are an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. and I have asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.
§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices(a) have closed since 1 January 2001, and (b) are subject to consultation on closure, broken down by parliamentary constituency; and if she will make a statement. [117715]
§ Mr. TimmsDecisions on post office closure proposals under the urban reinvention programme are an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. and I have asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.