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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, in what areas under which spending headings the £2 billion post office transformation and modernisation fund has been spent; and how much of that funding has been spent on redundancies.

The £2 billion Government subsidy has been provided to maintain and protect a network of at least 11,500 post offices across the country and to invest in modernisation and transformation of that network, so that it can offer the customer environments, opening hours and efficiency of operation for postmasters which are needed to succeed in the competitive mails, financial services, government services and telecom markets in which the Post Office operates.

The arrangements for redundancy payments are the operational responsibility of Post Office Limited. I have asked Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the Hon Member on this matter and provide the information requested. A copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.