Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many full-time equivalent jobs there were in January 2016 in (a) the 39 Crown post offices the Post Office is proposing to franchise and (b) the three Crown post offices the Post Office plans to close.
Answered by George Freeman
Post Office Limited runs and manages its Crown post offices. Franchising of these offices is the operational responsibility of the Post Office.
I have asked Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the hon Member on these matters. A copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much the Post Office has spent on refurbishing the premises of (a) the 39 Crown post offices it is proposing to franchise and (b) the three Crown post offices the Post Office is proposing to close since January 2010.
Answered by George Freeman
Post Office Limited runs and manages its Crown post offices. Franchising of these offices is the operational responsibility of the Post Office.
I have asked Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the hon Member on these matters. A copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many franchise Post Office branches have (a) closed and (b) relocated since January 2010.
Answered by George Freeman
Post Office Limited runs and manages its Crown post offices. Franchising of these offices is the operational responsibility of the Post Office.
I have asked Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the hon Member on these matters. A copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many public consultations the Post Office conducted on proposals to franchise Crown post offices in 2014 and 2015; and how many of those post offices so consulted on proceeded to be franchised.
Answered by George Freeman
Post Office Limited runs and manages its Crown post offices. Franchising of these offices is the operational responsibility of the Post Office.
I have asked Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the hon Member on these matters. A copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what action he is taking to address the gender pay gap in the higher education sector.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
Higher Education (HE) institutions are autonomous on staffing matters including pay.
The New Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education Staff (JNCHES) provides guidance on pay and pay related issues in the HE sector, including on pay equality with a view to reducing the gender pay gap.
My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has set out this Government’s ambition to eliminate the gender pay gap in a generation. The Government will be introducing regulations which will require all larger employers, including higher education institutions, to publish gender pay gap data and expect employers to start publishing the required information from April 2017.
We are aiming to commence the regulations for the private, voluntary and public sectors at the earliest opportunity, when the Parliamentary timetable allows and once all issues have been considered. We will provide a £0.5 million package of support to help business calculate, understand and address their gender pay gaps.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many (a) local and (b) main post offices were open at the end of (i) April 2015 and (ii) January 2016.
Answered by George Freeman
Provision of the post office network is the operational responsibility of the Post Office.
I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to you on this matter. A copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the cost to the public purse has been of the refurbishment of Crown Post Offices in Lancaster since January 2010.
Answered by George Freeman
Post Office Limited runs and manages its directly managed Crown post offices. Arrangements for employees of these offices and changes to the Crown network are the operational responsibility of the Post Office.
I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to you on this matter. A copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the cost was to the public purse of settlement agreements for staff from Crown Post Offices which were franchised in 2014 and 2015.
Answered by George Freeman
Post Office Limited runs and manages its directly managed Crown post offices. Arrangements for employees of these offices and changes to the Crown network are the operational responsibility of the Post Office.
I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to you on this matter. A copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the cost was to the public purse of indemnification of franchise partners to meet the costs for staff from Crown Post Offices who transferred into their employment in 2014 and 2015.
Answered by George Freeman
Post Office Limited runs and manages its directly managed Crown post offices. Arrangements for employees of these offices and changes to the Crown network are the operational responsibility of the Post Office.
I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to you on this matter. A copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many staff from Crown Post Offices that were franchised in 2014 and 2015 (a) transferred to employment with a franchise partner and (b) reached settlement agreements with the Post Office to leave its employment.
Answered by George Freeman
Post Office Limited runs and manages its directly managed Crown post offices. Arrangements for employees of these offices and changes to the Crown network are the operational responsibility of the Post Office.
I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to you on this matter. A copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.