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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the Post Office about addressing the problem of financial exclusion.

Ministers and government officials meet with Post Office on a regular basis and during these meetings services that help to address financial exclusion are often discussed. Post Office offers a wide range of financial services products, many of which are of benefit to those on low incomes or who are otherwise excluded from the traditional banking sector, and growth in financial services is a key opportunity to help make the Post Office network more sustainable.

With government’s support Post Office has been working closely with high street banks to offer a standardised service that enables customers of the banks to access their accounts at Post Office branches. This is particularly important for those communities that have seen bank branches closed, where often the only local shop is a Post Office. Post Office also offers the Post Office card account which enables people with no bank account to be able to access benefits, pensions and tax credits over the counter at their local branch.