Post Office Services — Calls for systematic consultation before closure — rejected — 24 Mar 2004 at 16:07

Gillian Merron MP, Lincoln voted with the majority (Teller for the Noes).

The majority of MPs voted against the following motion:[1]

  • This House
  • believes that all Post Office customers who wish to continue receiving their benefits, pension payments and tax credits through the Post Office should be able to do so through a Post Office Card Account opened at the counter of a Post Office or sub-post office;
  • notes that the Government has encouraged Post Office customers to use their own bank accounts or basic bank accounts, whilst preventing the promotion of the Post Office Card Account;
  • further believes that the Government should use the roll out of Direct Payment to encourage the take-up of all benefits and tax credits;
  • calls on the Government to clarify urgently how housebound, disabled and older people who are not able to cope with the three direct payment options will be able to claim their pensions and benefits after 2005;
  • recognises the significant role played by local post offices in both rural and urban areas;
  • appreciates that ending cash benefit payments will deprive sub-postmasters of an average of 35 per cent. of their income; notes that this will make many post offices commercially unviable and is likely to lead to yet further closures;
  • further calls on the Government to ensure that the urban post office closure programme is conducted systematically and only after consulting all relevant parties including Post Office users; and
  • condemns the Government's failure to deliver benefits and tax credits in a simple, easy to understand manner while at the same time jeopardising the future prosperity of the Post Office.

This was replaced by a motion in favour of the Government in the following vote.[2]

Debate in Parliament | Historical Hansard | Source |

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Party Summary

Votes by party, red entries are votes against the majority for that party.

What is Tell? '+1 tell' means that in addition one member of that party was a teller for that division lobby.

What are Boths? An MP can vote both aye and no in the same division. The boths page explains this.

What is Turnout? This is measured against the total membership of the party at the time of the vote.

PartyMajority (No)Minority (Aye)BothTurnout
Con0 136 (+2 tell)085.2%
DUP0 3050.0%
Independent0 1050.0%
Independent Conservative0 20100.0%
Lab300 (+2 tell) 0074.0%
LDem0 45083.3%
PC0 40100.0%
SNP0 4080.0%
UUP0 50100.0%
Total:300 200077.8%

Rebel Voters - sorted by party

MPs for which their vote in this division differed from the majority vote of their party. You can see all votes in this division, or every eligible MP who could have voted in this division

Sort by: Name | Constituency | Party | Vote

NameConstituencyPartyVote
no rebellions

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