Post Office (Hansard, 11 March 2004)

§ Mr. Jim Cunningham
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of proposals for post office closures have been halted as a result of public consultation in the(a) West Midlands and (b) UK. [159895]

§ Mr. Timms
Decisions on post office closure proposals following public consultation are an operational matter for Post Office and I have asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to my hon. Friend.

§ Mrs. Calton
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment she has made of the(a) consultation and (b) decision-making process involved in the Post Office Network Reinvention programme. [160592]

§ Mr. Timms
In the light of concerns expressed by Members of Parliament, and following discussions with Post Office Ltd. and Postwatch, I announced changes to the consultation arrangements for urban reinvention post office closure proposals in my written statement of 5 February. Following public consultation, decisions on post office closures are an operational matter for Post Office Ltd.

§ Mr. Wyatt
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures she can introduce to stop Tesco closing post offices as a result of the takeover of one-stop convenience stores, with particular reference to the one-stop convenience store in Chalkwell Road, Sittingbourne. [159793]

§ Mr. Timms
[holding answer 8 March 2004]: None. Any decision by Tesco to remove a post office from one of its T&S convenience stores is a commercial matter for the company. Tesco has however committed to giving six months notice of its intention to do so to Post Office Ltd., allowing it the opportunity to find alternative partners to continue to offer post office services in close proximity to the existing location, and to working with all parties to seek a smooth changeover process for customers in the area.
I understand that Tesco has recently given notice of its intention to discontinue post office services from its Chalkwell Road, Sittingbourne store and that Post Office Ltd. is now actively engaged in seeking an alternative location in the vicinity.