Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many post offices will be affected by the Network Transformation Programme in each region and constituent part of the UK; and if he will make a statement.

The Government has committed nearly £2 billion since 2010 to maintain a network of at least 11,500 branches and to protect and modernise the network by 2018, securing its long-term sustainable future.

Under the Government funded Network Transformation programme, the Post Office is modernising and improving its national network with branches benefiting from investment and customers seeing big improvements with converted branches typically offering much longer opening hours in brighter more attractive customer environments. National rollout of Network Transformation began in October 2012, and to-date 3,363 post offices have already been modernised under the programme. The programme is fully-funded and by March 2018 around 8,300 branches will have converted, with a further 3,400 ‘Community Branches’ benefitting from access to a £20 million investment fund.

I include a breakdown of modernised branches to-date, by nation and region, in the table below.

Network Transformation – Number of modernised branches by UK nation and region (data provided by Post Office Limited – as at 2 November 2014)