Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what notice the Post Office plans to give of closure of branches; and what plans he has to to mitigate the potential impact of such closures on rural communities.

No decisions to close any or all of the remaining Directly Managed Branches in rural and urban areas have been taken as of yet. Given the difficult financial position the Post Office is in, it is right that it reviews the costs of its operations and considers ways to reduce their costs further.

The Post Office will continue to deliver on the 11,500 minimum branch requirement set by Government. Longer term, Government has set out our plan to publish a Green Paper to consult with the public on the long-term future of the Post Office. This Green Paper will help inform what customers, communities and postmasters would like to see from a modern Post Office network.