Postal Services Bill

I shall also speak to Amendments 24C and 24D. All the amendments are an attempt to strengthen Clause 11, which relates to an annual report on the postal network being produced. Clause 11 requires the Secretary of State to lay a report before Parliament and to give copies to Scottish Ministers, Welsh Ministers and the offices of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister in Northern Ireland. Amendment 24A requires the report to contain information on locations where post offices services are not being provided at the time of the report but which are identified in the Post Office plan as outlet locations. This form of reporting would be an important development; it would enable stakeholders to distinguish between the Post Office’s intended network and that which they are actually able to achieve. A major concern has been the number of sub-postmasters leaving the business, as they are unable to make a sufficient living from their post offices. We have heard that more than 900 post offices, which is believed to be an unusually high number, are up for sale. Likewise, we know that more than 160 post offices closed on a long-term temporary basis in 2010. Many more will have closed on a short-term basis. It is important that these changes in the network are clearly reported and that an accurate picture of service levels around the country is reported. Amendment 24C requires the report to include the number and locations where post office services have ceased to be delivered since the last report and the reasons for this service reduction. As things currently stand, post offices close and services are reduced without explanation or justification to the public. Closures as part of a national closure programme went through a form of public consultation, which allowed for some degree of accountability and understanding of the criteria for closure. However, when individual post offices close, no such indication is given. Not only are post offices continuing to close but the Post Office is preparing to undergo another significant round of change through its new model for the network. Under current proposals, 4,000 main offices will be identified that will continue to provide the full range of services, and 2,000 sub-post offices will be transformed into what is known as ““local”” or ““essential”” post offices. These will provide a reduced service; the remainder of the post office network is expected eventually to be developed along this ““essentials”” model. I would welcome a clarification of that aspect. It is important that the impact of these changes is properly monitored. The amendment seeks not to change the Post Office’s plans but to ensure that a clear understanding of the shape of the network is achieved. While these changes are not closures, they constitute a major change in service provision. Likewise, the introduction of outreach services as replacements for post offices—often in the form of a van servicing a community a number of set times a week—constitutes a significant reduction in service levels in most areas. It is important that we monitor these changes. At the time of the network change programme between 2007 and 2009, it was envisaged that 500 post offices would be replaced by outreach services. There are now 772 outreach services, which make up 6 per cent of the network. It is on these grounds—the importance of understanding what is happening to the post office network during closure programmes and understanding programmes where the models are changing—that we seek to strengthen the terms of this Bill. I trust that the House will support the amendment.