The Petition of residents of Torphichen, West Lothian,
Declares that the Petitioners are concerned about the provision of Post Office services in Torphichen, following the closure of the Post Office when the previous sub-postmaster gave up the lease on the premises; declares that the Post Office had said that the closure would be temporary; that no consultation has been carried out on any proposal to close the Post Office permanently; and declares that the Petitioners believe that a reduced service is not justifiable or acceptable.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to take all possible steps to ensure that the Torphichen Post Office is reopened.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Michael Connarty, Official Report, 7 March 2012; Vol. 541, c. 974.]
[P001011]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills:
The Government note the concerns of the residents of Torphichen regarding the availability of Post Office services, but further note that operational matters relating to specific post office branches are the responsibility of Post Office Ltd. The Government, as shareholder, do not play any role in decisions relating to individual post office branches.
The Government note that Torphichen Post Office closed in November 2011 following the unexpected resignation of the former subpostmaster but that service was restored in June 2012. Regrettably service has been suspended since March 2013 for operational reasons, but Post Office Ltd is committed to maintaining services in Torphichen and has, as an interim measure to ensure residents have continued access to Post Office services, put in place arrangements for a temporary subpostmaster to operate a service, which will commence on Monday 22 April 2013.