UK Parliament / Open data

Postal Services Bill

Committee of the Whole House (HL) and Debate on bills on Wednesday, 16 March 2011, in the House of Lords.
Postal Services Bill. Lords committee stage third day. Clause 3: Employee share scheme, agreed to. Clause 4: Restrictions on issue and transfer of shares and share rights in a Post Office company etc, agreed to. Clause 5: Report on transfer of interest in a Post Office company to a relevant mutual, agreed to. Clause 6 agreed to. Clause 7: Meaning of "relevant mutual", agreed to. Clause 8: Transfer schemes, agreed to. Schedule 1 agreed to. clauses 9, 10 agreed to. Schedule 2 agreed to. Clauses 11 to 15 agreed to.

About these Parliamentary proceedings

Reference

726 c241-303, c327-45 

Session

2010-12

Department

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Legislative stage

Committee stage

Procedure

New clauses

Chamber / Committee

House of Lords chamber

Related items

Postal Services Bill. Brought from the Commons. Explanatory notes also published (HL Bill 38-EN).
Thursday, 13 January 2011
Bills
House of Lords
Deposited Paper DEP2011-0484
Friday, 18 March 2011
Deposited papers
House of Lords
Deposited Paper DEP2011-0489
Friday, 18 March 2011
Deposited papers
House of Lords

Proceeding contributions

Lord Cotter | 726 c243-4 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, in one sense I welcome the amendment. Speaking for these Benches and, I think, for the Gov...
Lord Tunnicliffe | 726 c241-3 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, we welcome the principle contained in this Bill which earmarks some of the shares for empl...

Show all contributions (108)
Lord Tunnicliffe | 726 c241 (Link to this contribution) Clause 3: Employee share scheme Amendment 18 18: Clause 3, page 2, line 23, leave out from ““reduc...
Lord Tunnicliffe | 726 c249-50 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I thank all those who have taken part in this important debate and the noble Lord, Lord Co...
Lord De Mauley | 726 c247-9 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I thank the noble Lords, Lord Tunnicliffe and Lord Clarke, for tabling their amendments, a...
Baroness Kramer | 726 c246-7 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I will make a couple of comments. I very much support the employee ownership proposed in t...
Lord Clarke of Hampstead | 726 c244-6 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I declare my usual interest as a former postman. As all Members of this House will know, I...
Lord De Mauley | 726 c250 (Link to this contribution) If it helps the noble Lord, I can say that that is a helpful suggestion.
Baroness Turner of Camden | 726 c252 (Link to this contribution) I support the amendment, which is rather similar to something that I put forward in a previous sitti...
Lord Tunnicliffe | 726 c251-2 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, we have just debated the merits of having an employee share scheme, for which there seemed...
Viscount Eccles | 726 c252-3 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I do not think that any of us could possibly disagree with the thinking behind the remarks...
Baroness Wall of New Barnet | 726 c253 (Link to this contribution) I, too, support the amendment. In my experience, where employees have a stake in the business—such a...
Baroness Donaghy | 726 c253 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I was pleased to see the role that ACAS played in helping the company and the union come t...
Lord Clarke of Hampstead | 726 c254 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, when the Government consider the arguments we have heard about what should or should not b...
Baroness Kramer | 726 c254 (Link to this contribution) This discussion is expressing general agreement, as the noble Viscount, Lord Eccles, said, that it w...
Baroness Howe of Idlicote | 726 c255 (Link to this contribution) Having listened to all the debate on this issue, I must admit that I have a great deal of sympathy w...
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe | 726 c254-5 (Link to this contribution) I understand why the noble Viscount, Lord Eccles, should be concerned about the uncertainty, but the...
Lord Tunnicliffe | 726 c256-7 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I thank all noble Lords who have participated in this debate, and I thank my noble friend ...
Lord De Mauley | 726 c255-6 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Tunnicliffe, for moving his amendment and all noble Lords who...
Lord Tunnicliffe | 726 c257 (Link to this contribution) 21: Clause 3, page 2, line 32, leave out ““or include””
Lord Stevenson of Balmacara | 726 c291 (Link to this contribution) I thank the Minister for her positive remarks. I am certainly interested in seeing Co-operatives UK’...
Baroness Wilcox | 726 c290-1 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Stevenson, for this amendment. The Government are very keen t...
Lord Whitty | 726 c291-2 (Link to this contribution) 22A: After Clause 10, insert the following new Clause— ““Counter access to postal, government and ot...
Baroness Wilcox | 726 c297-9 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, these amendments seek to strengthen the current access criteria so that they match current...
Lord Young of Norwood Green | 726 c294-7 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I speak to my noble friend Lord Whitty’s ““omnibus”” amendment and to Amendments 22C and 2...
Lord Young of Norwood Green | 726 c300 (Link to this contribution) 22B: After Clause 10, insert the following new Clause— ““Closure of post offices (1) Where any compa...
Lord Razzall | 726 c273-4 (Link to this contribution) The noble Lords, Lord Whitty, Lord Cameron and Lord Young, have raised some extremely relevant and i...
Lord Cameron of Dillington | 726 c271-3 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, the profitability of post offices, touched on by the noble Lord, Lord Whitty, and the need...
Baroness Donaghy | 726 c273 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, in supporting the amendments, I want to deal with the potential political fallout of getti...
Lord De Mauley | 726 c262-3 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, Amendments 21ZA and 21ZB relate essentially to the design of the employee share scheme. As...
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe | 726 c263-4 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I am grateful to all who have contributed to the debate. I am grateful to the noble Lord, ...
Viscount Eccles | 726 c262 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, both the possibilities outlined by the noble Lord, Lord Christopher, could indeed happen. ...
Lord Borrie | 726 c267 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I support my noble friend Lord Whitty. He has made a powerful speech not only on the merit...
Lord Young of Norwood Green | 726 c268-71 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I shall speak to Amendments 21C and 22ZA to 22ZD, and comment on the other amendments in t...
Lord Whitty | 726 c264 (Link to this contribution) 21A: Clause 4, page 2, line 36, at end insert— ““( ) No disposal of the Crown’s interest in a Post O...
Lord Whitty | 726 c264-6 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I support the other amendments in the group. We move on to the future of Post Office Ltd. ...
Lord Young of Norwood Green | 726 c261 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, a number of noble Lords have drawn attention to the umpteen privatisations of the 1980s an...
Lord Young of Norwood Green | 726 c261-2 (Link to this contribution) No. Sorry to disappoint the noble Lord; I see that he is returning to his previous night’s form. The...
Lord Christopher | 726 c262 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I apologise for having been diverted to another meeting. There are two issues that concern...
Lord Tunnicliffe | 726 c257-8 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, this repeats an amendment already discussed in the Public Bill Committee of the other plac...
Lord De Mauley | 726 c258 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, as the noble Lord, Lord Tunnicliffe, has explained, Amendment 21 relates to the scope of t...
Lord Tunnicliffe | 726 c258 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, it would be unprecedented for someone to rise from these Benches and say that they were wh...
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe | 726 c258 (Link to this contribution) 21ZA: Clause 3, page 2, line 33, at end insert ““which satisfies the conditions specified in subsect...
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe | 726 c259-60 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I shall speak also to Amendment 21ZB. They are tabled in the name of my noble friend Lady ...
Lord Razzall | 726 c260-1 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, the amendment is extremely constructive. However, I have a concern, which is the one echoe...
Lord Stevenson of Balmacara | 726 c288-90 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, this amendment seeks to embed employee involvement in the operation of a mutualised Post O...
Lord Stevenson of Balmacara | 726 c288 (Link to this contribution) 22ZE: Clause 7, page 4, line 15, leave out ““C”” and insert ““D””
Lord Young of Norwood Green | 726 c288 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I thank the Minister for her reply. I will certainly reflect on those measured words. In t...
Lord Young of Norwood Green | 726 c287 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I shall also speak to Amendment 21E. By nature these are somewhat technical probing amendm...
Baroness Wilcox | 726 c287-8 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, Amendments 21D and 21E refer to the circumstances in which a relevant mutual could dispose...
Lord Stevenson of Balmacara | 726 c287 (Link to this contribution) I am afraid that the Minister did not quite get my point; I was in the middle of a wonderful perorat...
Lord Young of Norwood Green | 726 c287 (Link to this contribution) 21D: Clause 4, page 3, line 8, after ““of”” insert ““any part of””
Lord Stevenson of Balmacara | 726 c286-7 (Link to this contribution) I thank the Minister for her reply. I suspect that I made a mistake in trying to bring a touch of le...
Baroness Wilcox | 726 c287 (Link to this contribution) If the noble Lord will bear with me, I must intervene. We do believe that there is an exciting futur...
Lord Lea of Crondall | 726 c286 (Link to this contribution) I may have misheard the Minister, but did I hear her say that all these desirable things are depende...
Baroness Wilcox | 726 c285-6 (Link to this contribution) I thank the noble Lord, Lord Stevenson, for tabling this amendment. The Government are clear that th...
Lord Clarke of Hampstead | 726 c283-5 (Link to this contribution) The noble Lord, Lord Stevenson, said he had ““a cunning plan””. Well, I wish it was cunning—it is no...
Lord Young of Norwood Green | 726 c285 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I shall respond to the noble Baroness’s request for information. It was a substantial sum....
Lord Stevenson of Balmacara | 726 c279-80 (Link to this contribution) 21B: Clause 4, page 3, line 2, at end insert— ““( ) Before making any direction under subsection (2)...
Lord Stevenson of Balmacara | 726 c280-2 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, in earlier contributions many noble Lords, particularly the noble Lord, Lord Cameron of Di...
Baroness Kramer | 726 c283 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I have long been a fan of the equivalent of a post bank—as you know, it was Liberal Democr...
Baroness Howe of Idlicote | 726 c274 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I sympathise with these amendments. They reflect a number of concerns that those of us who...
Lord Sentamu | 726 c274-5 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, under Amendment 21A, one of the greatest regrets about the manufacturing base of this coun...
Baroness Wilcox | 726 c275-8 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, here we are on day three eventually at the issue of the Post Office and all the concerns t...
Lord Whitty | 726 c278-9 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness for some of the reassurances she has given, which were...
Lord Lea of Crondall | 726 c344-5 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I hope that reflection can be mutual. Then, when we come to Report stage, we will see if t...
Baroness Wilcox | 726 c343-4 (Link to this contribution) I will come to that. We are talking about a pilot scheme over a fairly long period, during which we ...
Baroness Wilcox | 726 c341-3 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, this is the final and possibly the most emotional and serious amendment that I have spoken...
Lord Rowe-Beddoe | 726 c340 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I support the amendment in a general way. During the course of today, your Lordships have ...
Viscount Tenby | 726 c339-40 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I support the amendment in the name of my noble and gallant friend Lord Bramall and others...
Baroness Wilcox | 726 c333 (Link to this contribution) I ask for clarification so that I do not answer a question that has not actually been asked. Is the ...
Lord Young of Norwood Green | 726 c334 (Link to this contribution) I thank the Minister for her detailed response, which I will study carefully. In the light of the co...
Lord Young of Norwood Green | 726 c334 (Link to this contribution) 24B: Clause 11, page 6, line 26, after ““offices,”” insert— ““( ) the use of the network by the univ...
Baroness Wilcox | 726 c333-4 (Link to this contribution) My ball, I think. An annual report on the post office network laid before Parliament is an important...
Baroness Wilcox | 726 c335-6 (Link to this contribution) I thank the noble Lord, Lord Young, for moving the amendment and my noble friend for pointing out th...
Lord Young of Norwood Green | 726 c334-5 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, Amendment 24B would strengthen reporting requirements on the Post Office to reflect also o...
Lord Skelmersdale | 726 c335 (Link to this contribution) I am rather surprised that the noble Lord did not seek to group this amendment with the amendments t...
Lord Young of Norwood Green | 726 c336 (Link to this contribution) I thank the Minister for her reply and her willingness to take the issue away. This is clearly a cha...
Lord Young of Norwood Green | 726 c336 (Link to this contribution) 24E: Clause 11, page 6, line 32, after ““small”” insert ““and medium-sized””
Lord Young of Norwood Green | 726 c336-7 (Link to this contribution) In response to the noble Lord, Lord Skelmersdale, there was no intention on our part to have these a...
Lord Young of Norwood Green | 726 c337 (Link to this contribution) I suspect that the noble Lord is right. I shall need to check it, but I tend to agree with him at th...
Baroness Wilcox | 726 c337 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I agree with the aim of the noble Lord, Lord Young, that the annual report on the post off...
Lord Skelmersdale | 726 c337 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, does that mean that my noble friend is, for the second time, going to take this away and l...
Baroness Wilcox | 726 c337-8 (Link to this contribution) Yes. We know that businesses value the post office network. According to research by the Federation...
Lord Young of Norwood Green | 726 c338 (Link to this contribution) I thank the Minister for that. Was it edification, clarification or education? I will study carefull...
Lord Lea of Crondall | 726 c338 (Link to this contribution) 24EA: After Clause 11, insert the following new Clause— ““Operating methods of post offices (1) A co...
Lord Lea of Crondall | 726 c338-9 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I am moving this amendment on behalf of the noble and gallant Lord, Lord Bramall, who is u...
Baroness Kramer | 726 c329 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I shall speak briefly on my very short Amendment 23A, which I put before this House partly...
Baroness Wilcox | 726 c329-31 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, for clarity I confirm that when we have said that we will write to noble Lords, we will of...
Lord Stevenson of Balmacara | 726 c331 (Link to this contribution) I thank the Minister for her words. I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Kramer, for joining the debate ...
Lord Young of Norwood Green | 726 c300-2 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, as all noble Lords will be aware, post offices continue to provide a lifeline to residents...
Lord Young of Norwood Green | 726 c303 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I welcome some of the assurances that the Minister gave. Unless I missed it, she did not a...
Lord Stevenson of Balmacara | 726 c327 (Link to this contribution) 22D: Before Clause 11, insert the following new Clause— ““Increased use of post office accounts The ...
Lord Young of Norwood Green | 726 c332-3 (Link to this contribution) I shall also speak to Amendments 24C and 24D. All the amendments are an attempt to strengthen Clause...
Lord Young of Norwood Green | 726 c331 (Link to this contribution) 24A: Clause 11, page 6, line 26, after ““offices,”” insert— ““( ) the locations where post office se...
Lord Tunnicliffe | 726 c251 (Link to this contribution) Thank you very much. With that response, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment 18 withdrawn. Amendmen...
Lord Whitty | 726 c299-300 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I am extremely grateful to the noble Baroness for giving such a detailed answer, including...
Baroness Turner of Camden | 726 c282-3 (Link to this contribution) I rise to support my noble friend in respect of this amendment. It is very important to accept that ...
Lord Young of Norwood Green | 726 c343 (Link to this contribution) I hesitate to intervene at this late hour, but there is an area that I would like the Minister to ad...
Lord Tunnicliffe | 726 c251 (Link to this contribution) 20: Clause 3, page 2, line 29, at end insert— ““( ) Any employee share scheme will be entitled to ha...
Lord Whitty | 726 c292-4 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, we have reached this amendment slightly quicker than I had thought we would. Although the ...
Baroness Wilcox | 726 c286 (Link to this contribution) Yes, that wide network will be there. We strongly believe that funding for the Post Office will be ...
Lord Young of Norwood Green | 726 c340-1 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, while the main focus of the Bill is to sell off Royal Mail, the plans for the Post Office ...
Lord Skelmersdale | 726 c337 (Link to this contribution) The noble Lord is of course absolutely right. As the director of an SME myself, I sympathise exactly...
Lord Stevenson of Balmacara | 726 c328-9 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, the purpose of this amendment is to require the Secretary of State to give full considerat...
Baroness Wilcox | 726 c302-3 (Link to this contribution) My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Young, for his Amendment 22B. An annual report on the Post Of...

Subjects

Access
Disadvantaged
Assets
Bank services
Closures
Banks
Credit unions
Cooperatives
Industrial democracy
Privatisation
Opening hours
Post offices
Profit sharing
Postal services
Post Office
Small businesses
Rural areas
Royal Mail
Universal service obligation

Legislation

Postal Services Bill 2010-12

Link

View this Parliamentary proceeding on www.publications.parliament.uk
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