§ Mr. Bill O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she last discussed the question of deprived wards with reference to the application of the 1277W urban reinvention programme by Post Office Ltd.; and what interpretation the Post Office uses of the term deprived ward; and if she will make a statement. [173919]
§ Mr. TimmsIn accordance with the recommendations of the Performance and Innovation Unit's year 2000 report 'Counter Revolution—Modernising the Post Office Network', the Government have provided support for post offices in deprived urban areas of England in the form of the Deprived Urban Post Office Fund administered by the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Similar schemes are administered by the devolved Administrations of Scotland and Wales while the merits of such a scheme are being considered in Northern Ireland. I announced on 5 February details of changes agreed by Post Office Ltd. and Postwatch to the current programme to restructure the post office network in urban areas which includes clarification of criteria to define exceptional circumstances under which Post Office Ltd. might propose to close a post office branch in a deprived urban area without an alternative within a half a mile. I understand that the Post Office uses the Indices of Deprivation 2000 to define its interpretation of an urban deprive ward.