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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support the Post Office during the covid-19 outbreak.

The Government views the services provided by the Post Office as essential and that is why, on 23 March, the Government designated 'key worker' status to Postmasters and their staff, allowing their children to remain in school. This has meant that subject to social distancing guidelines, Post Office has sought to keep as many branches opens as possible during the Covid-19 outbreak. To support postmasters through this period, Post Office has provided income top ups to many thousands of branches in April, May and June.

This support backs Postmasters for their dedication and hard work in keeping their Post Office open and ensures that some of the country's most vulnerable people can continue to benefit from the essential services the Post Office provides.

BEIS continues to work with Post Office to ensure as many branches can remain open as possible and particularly that communities’ access to essential services is protected during this challenging time.