Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local post offices in rural areas remain in business.

The Government has committed nearly £2 billion since 2010 to maintain, modernise and protect a network of at least 11,500 branches, securing its long-term sustainable future. The Post Office is continuing to meet strict access criteria that see, for example, 99% of the rural population living within three miles of a Post Office outlet.

The Post Office is modernising and improving its national network, with thousands of branches benefiting from investment under the Government funded Network Transformation programme. This programme has already seen over a third of the network’s branches modernised, delivering benefits to customers such as much longer opening hours and improved branch environments. It has also seen over 3,000 branches designated as Community Branches. These branches are typically the last shop in the community where we are safeguarding service provision, many of which are in rural and remote communities. Community Branches are benefitting from access to the £20 million Government funded Community Branch Fund, which is providing investment into these socially important branches.