Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he has taken to ensure the continued availability of in-person post office services in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire since 5 September 2025.

The Government protects the sustainability of the Post Office network – and the rural network in particular – by providing an annual Network Subsidy. This ensures Post Office Limited maintains a minimum number of branches and a geographical spread of branches in line with the Government-set access criteria. This financial year we are providing £83 million in subsidy, up from £50 million previously, and building on the uplift provided last year. The access criteria ensures that, however the network changes, 99% of the UK population live within three miles of their nearest Post Office.