Postal Services Bill

Lord Bruce of Bennachie Excerpts

Wednesday 12th January 2011 Commons Chamber

[Malcolm Bruce (Gordon) (LD)]

One problem for the people’s bank, and for using post offices as a branch network for joint-stock banks, was that the Royal Bank of Scotland and the Bank of Scotland refused consistently over the past few years to comply. However, they have now done so and the post office can be used to access cash from pretty much every mainstream bank account. That is a real help to the post office network.

[Ian Murray]

We must leave no stone unturned in looking to provide services through the post office network, so that it can survive this process. The black hole in finance that will appear if the inter-business agreement is removed will make most post offices in this country unviable. We should look at every conceivable option to get as much revenue as possible into the post office network, because, as everyone in this Chamber knows, people love and enjoy the services that it provides.

--- Later in debate ---

[Malcolm Bruce]

Most of us have visited post offices in recent weeks. Does my hon. Friend agree that the Royal Mail is delivering a huge amount of mail on behalf of other carriers, and that if it did not provide that service, those carriers could not provide their customer guarantees? It is imperative that they pay a fair price for that service, and the Bill may create the space in which that can happen.

[Lorely Burt]

My right hon. Friend is absolutely right. It is shameful that Royal Mail’s demise has been caused partly by the fact that we have gold-plated the rules that have come down from the EU.