Post Office network — Concern for delays in investment package — rejected — 16 Oct 2006 at 19:18

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

• This House
• believes the Government is putting the future of the Post Office network and of Royal Mail at risk by their continued failure to take the tough and overdue decisions needed;
• further believes that many local post offices have closed or are under threat because of the uncertainty over the future of the subsidy to rural post offices after 2008 and the withdrawal of public sector business from the network, including the pension book, the television licence, passports and the decision to withdraw the Post Office card account when the existing contract expires in 2010;
• shares Postcomm's concern that over 6,500 remaining rural post office branches are vulnerable and could close over the next few years;
• further believes that the Post Office network provides significant social and economic benefits and can play a key role in tackling financial exclusion and helping rural and deprived urban communities to survive and thrive;
• further believes the delays in finalising the investment package for Royal Mail is undermining Royal Mail's ability to compete in the postal market following liberalisation last January threatening jobs and Royal Mail's market share; and
• therefore calls on the Government to end this paralysis in decision-making at the heart of Government so that the Post Office network and Royal Mail can make the investments they need with greater certainty about a sustainable and stable commercial future.

This motion was replaced by the new motion:^[2]

• This House
• acknowledges the important role that post offices play in local communities, particularly in rural and deprived urban areas;
• recognises that the business environment in which Royal Mail and the Post Office network are operating is undergoing radical change with more and more people choosing new electronic ways to communicate, pay bills and access government services;
• applauds the Government's record of working closely with Royal Mail, Post Office Ltd and sub-postmasters to help them meet these challenges with an unprecedented investment of more than £2 billion made by the Government in supporting the network;
• acknowledges the important role post offices can play in tackling financial exclusion while recognising that the Government must also take due account of the need to deliver services efficiently; and
• acknowledges that the Government is committed to bringing forward proposals to help put Royal Mail and the Post Office network onto a sustainable footing.

which passed without a further vote.

• [1] Edward Davey MP, House of Commons, 16 October 2006
• [2] Jim Fitzpatrick MP, House of Commons, 16 October 2006

Debate in Parliament | Source |