All 4 Petitions debates in the Commons on 7th Apr 2014


Thu 3rd Apr 2014

House of Commons (18) - Commons Chamber (7) / Written Statements (5) / Petitions (4) / Ministerial Corrections (2)

House of Lords (15) - Lords Chamber (8) / Grand Committee (7)


Tue 8th Apr 2014
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Petitions

Monday 7th April 2014

(10 years, 8 months ago)

Petitions
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Monday 7 April 2014
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The Proposed Closure of Crown Post Offices in Anglesey (Ynys Môn)

Monday 7th April 2014

(10 years, 8 months ago)

Petitions
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The Petition of the residents of Anglesey,
Declares that they wish to preserve the Crown Post Office in both Holyhead and Llangefni to retain the safety, convenience and services of this vital resource to the island’s community.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons protect both Crown Post Offices from closure and from potential franchising.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Albert Owen, Official Report, 18 March 2014; Vol. 577, c. 746.]
[P001333]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, received 4 April 2014:
The Government note the views of residents who access Post Office services at both Holyhead and Llangefni post office branches, which are currently directly operated by Post Office Ltd, and are known as Crown branches.
The Government note that the implementation of the Crown Transformation Programme is an operational matter which is the responsibility of senior management at Post Office Ltd. The Government, as shareholder, do not play any role in decisions relating to individual post office branches. In considering the future provision of Post Office services in Anglesey, it is important to note the wider context of Post Office Ltd’s proposals to franchise 70 Crown post offices and to merge or relocate a small number of other Crown branches.
The Government note that the 2010 Spending Review contained a clear commitment to modernising the post office network and safeguarding its future, and that Government have allocated £2 billion of funding since 2010 to provide for significant investment across the post office network. A condition of this funding package requires Post Office Ltd to continue to maintain a network of at least 11,500 branches, to comply fully with the access criteria, and with no programme of branch closures.
The Government note that the branches of the Crown network have incurred heavy and historic losses, totalling £37 million in the company’s last reported full financial year. Eliminating these Crown losses is a key element of Post Office Ltd’s strategy to provide for the long-term sustainable future of the network, and the Government support the business in delivering that strategy.
The Government note that the current losses incurred by the Crown network contribute to a third of the losses sustained by the network as a whole and this is not sustainable. No business, including the Post Office, can continue with a situation where some of its high street branches cost substantially more to run than they generate in revenues. In the case of the Holyhead branch it costs £1.86 for every £1 of income it generates, and in the case of the Llangefni branch it costs £2.12 for every £1 of income it generates.
The Government note that within their broader strategy for eliminating these unsustainable losses and achieving break even for the Crown network by 2015, Post Office Ltd has identified a group of branches where it sees no prospect of eliminating the losses at a local level under the current operating and cost structure. The precise reasons will vary from location to location but commonly include factors such as high property costs and sub-optimal location to attract the necessary increase in custom and business to make them profitable.
The Government note that Post Office Ltd has however made clear that, under each franchise proposal, the full range of post office services would continue to be available in close proximity to the existing Crown branch; and, in the event that a suitable new retail partner cannot be found. Post Office Ltd has given a commitment that post office services will be retained within the area. Furthermore, before any changes are made to the existing service provision in these areas, there will be a local public consultation under the terms of a Code of Practice agreed between the Post Office Ltd and Consumer Futures (now part of Citizens Advice). The public consultation will focus on specific and detailed proposals for relocating the service provision, including such matters as ease of access, and responses are carefully considered by Post Office Ltd before a final decision is reached.
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Rural Fair Share Campaign

Monday 7th April 2014

(10 years, 8 months ago)

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The Petition of residents of Brigg and Goole constituency,
Declares that the Petitioners believe that the Local Government Finance Settlement is unfair to rural communities; notes that the Rural Penalty sees urban areas receive 50% more support per head than rural areas despite higher costs in rural service delivery; and opposes the planned freezing of this inequity in the 2013–14 settlement for six years until 2020.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to reduce the Rural Penalty in staged steps by at least 10% by 2020.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Andrew Percy, Official Report, 23 January 2014; Vol. 574, c. 547.]
[P001316]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, received 4 April 2014:
This Government recognised that the costs associated with the delivery of services in rural areas is an important issue and have moved to address the situation left by the previous Administration. We are taking action through the changes we made in 2013-14 and this year. But we are doing this in the context of the continuing need to pay off the budget deficit inherited from the last Government in order to safeguard the economy.
Overall the 2013-14 settlement provided stability at the start of business rates retention to allow authorities to benefit from business rates growth and protected the most grant-dependent authorities, whether they are rural or urban authorities. In setting the business rates retention baseline we increased the weighting and top-ups for sparsity. We also paid £8.5 million by Section 31 grant to 95 rural local authorities in 2013-14 intended to help those authorities with the highest levels of sparsity to secure efficiencies in services. In the 2014-15 settlement the grant amount was increased to £9.5 million and rolled into the settlement, and on 12 February 2014 Ministers announced a further £2 million for this funding, bringing the total to £11.5 million for 2014-15.
Funding per head in predominantly rural areas reduces by less than in predominantly urban areas for all classes of authority in 2014-15. The urban-rural gap in spending power per head shows an even more marked narrowing from 2012-13 to 2013-14. The 2014-15 Local Government Finance Settlement sees average spending power (excluding the Greater London Authority) reduce by just 2.9%. The Government are also providing funding to help local government in England freeze council tax in 2014-15 and 2015-16. This will mean that we have helped English authorities freeze their council tax for an unprecedented five successive years.
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Rail Services in Bolton

Monday 7th April 2014

(10 years, 8 months ago)

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The Petition of residents of Bolton,
Declares that the Petitioners believe that the number of peak hour train carriages has decreased in recent years and further that the Petitioners believe the rail services provided are inadequate to meet the needs of local people.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to insist that the rail companies involved take action to improve Bolton’s train service and increase the number of peak hour train carriages.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Mr David Crausby, Official Report, 5 March 2014; Vol. 576, c. 992.]
[P001323]
The Petition of residents of Bolton,
Declares that the Petitioners believe that the number of peak hour train carriages has decreased in recent years and further that the Petitioners believe the rail services provided are inadequate to meet the needs of local people.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to insist that the Rail companies involved take action to improve Bolton’s train service and increase the number of peak train carriages.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Julie Hilling, Official Report, 5 March 2014; Vol. 576, c. 992 .]
[P001325]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Transport:
The Department is very much aware of the concerns of the people of Bolton, and their elected representatives, regarding the provision of rolling stock and rail services to and for Bolton. Much has been said about Bolton and what might happen following the December timetable change. The Under-Secretary of State for Transport, my hon. Friend the Member for Wimbledon (Stephen Hammond) met the hon. Members from Bolton last week, and made it clear that he understands the difficulties faced by passengers on that route.
The Department is working with the rail companies to see what action can be taken to address the concerns that have been raised. The Prime Minister has asked the Department for Transport to investigate with the train operators, the costs and practicalities for improving service provision on the Bolton line.
As announced by the Prime Minister, the right hon. David Cameron (1 April 2014),
“A growing economy means more good jobs—but to make the most of them people need great transport too. If the trains are packed, it’s vital we invest in better services. As part of our long-term economic plan to help Britain succeed, that’s exactly what the government is doing across the North-West, with a big scheme that will soon see longer, quicker electric trains in place of today's crowded diesel units on several routes.
Bolton is one of the places that will benefit from this—which is why when I was in the town just before Christmas I was concerned to find out that while the work is happening, the current service is sometimes far too crowded, especially on trains that get hardworking people to work in the morning.
That's got to be sorted out and I've asked ministers to act. Of course when you get the builders in to improve things for the future there's bound to be some disruption. But I'm pleased to say that having listened to views in Bolton we're making sure that before the end of the year we will lengthen trains where it's possible—which means around 200 extra places on the Bolton line during the key morning peak.
We can do this because in December the first electric trains ever will start running on the line between Manchester and Liverpool, freeing up spare carriages for routes like Bolton. And of course that's just the start with work on course to make the Bolton line too fully electric by December 2016.”
The Government remain determined to tackle overcrowding and provide better, more comfortable journeys for passengers. To this end, the Government have embarked on a large programme of rail capacity expansion. Work is under way to provide additional rolling stock on many routes around the country.
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