Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of (a) whether the Post Office is providing and (b) the potential impact of the temporary closure of Post Offices on the provision of a convenient and accessible service to all customers.

Almost 93% of the population live within one mile (and over 99% within three miles) of their nearest Post Office. The branch network is subject to impact from external changes which are normally outside the control of the Post Office, such as postmasters retiring or moving on, or the loss of access to buildings due to lease arrangements expiring. In such instances the time it takes to restore service will vary depending on the individual local circumstances in each case. ​The Government-set Access Criteria ensures that however the network changes, services remain within local reach of all citizens.