Contributions
1,122 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Future of the Post OfficeEach time I have met a sub-postmaster who was a victim of the Horizon scandal, I have been shocked by the way the Post Office treated them. I am sure other Members share that…13 Nov 2024HANSARD Future of the Post OfficeI welcome my hon. Friend’s question. We need to take a number of steps in order to see mutualisation as a realistic way forward. In the first instance, there has to be a sustained…13 Nov 2024HANSARD Future of the Post OfficeMy right hon. Friend is right to stress the importance of post office branches to the future of all our communities. In that regard, work is required from trade unions and others…13 Nov 2024HANSARD Future of the Post OfficeWe have made it clear to the Post Office that it has to talk to sub-postmasters, stakeholders and the trade unions about the costs associated with directly managed branches. We…13 Nov 2024HANSARD Future of the Post OfficeI say gently to the hon. Member that I absolutely recognise his point about the role that bank branches play in communities such as Kendal and about their retreat from our high…13 Nov 2024HANSARD Future of the Post OfficeMy hon. Friend makes a strong and compelling case. The criticisms that he has just articulated about the compensation process are ones I have heard directly from victims of the…13 Nov 2024HANSARD Future of the Post OfficeThe right hon. Gentleman is right to bring the House’s attention back to the issue of sub-postmaster pay: there has been no material improvement in sub-postmaster pay for over a…13 Nov 2024HANSARD Future of the Post OfficeMy hon. Friend has always been a great champion of her constituency. I have visited the banking hub in Acton in a previous life, before the general election. I would be very happy…13 Nov 2024HANSARD Future of the Post OfficeI am acutely aware of the responsibility of Government to ensure that every community has access to a post office branch. That is why we are continuing to provide a £50 million…13 Nov 2024HANSARD Future of the Post OfficeAbsolutely. I recognise that the Post Office has a particularly responsibility to work with sub-postmasters who provide a post office service in rural communities. It is one…13 Nov 2024HANSARD Future of the Post OfficeI am grateful to my hon. Friend for her question. I hope I can reassure her that when we publish our Green Paper on the future of the Post Office next year, I will welcome the…13 Nov 2024HANSARD Future of the Post OfficePerhaps the hon. Gentleman did not fully hear my answer. There have been no decisions to close any individual directly managed branch. As I have said, significant additional costs…13 Nov 2024HANSARD Future of the Post OfficeI can assure my hon. Friend that I will happily come back to visit his constituency when the banking hub there has a permanent home. I would be delighted to.13 Nov 2024HANSARD Future of the Post OfficeThe situation the hon. Lady describes is exactly why I welcome the fact that the new management of the Post Office is putting the issue of sub-postmaster pay front and centre in…13 Nov 2024HANSARD Future of the Post OfficeI agree with my hon. Friend that we need to see a faster roll-out of banking hubs. Given that the Conservative party sat back and did nothing while 9,500 bank branches closed, the…13 Nov 2024HANSARD Future of the Post OfficeI can be absolutely clear with the hon. Gentleman: I said no decision had been made on any individual directly managed branch, and that is absolutely true. We are also clear that…13 Nov 2024HANSARD Future of the Post OfficeWe expect the appeals process that we announced for the Horizon shortfall scheme to be up and running soon—realistically, probably early in the new year. I say gently to my hon.…13 Nov 2024HANSARD Future of the Post OfficeThere are a number of elements to securing the future of the Post Office. First, we must look at its commercial operation, which is why an improvement in the banking offer…13 Nov 2024HANSARD Future of the Post OfficeI am absolutely open to any idea that will help to speed up the roll-out of banking hubs; I recognise that they are crucial for communities up and down the UK. If he has…13 Nov 2024HANSARD Future of the Post OfficeI am delighted to hear the news about a post office branch opening in the hon. Gentleman’s constituency; that will be of great comfort to his constituents. As I set out, one way…13 Nov 2024