Order. Will Members who are not staying for the petition and the Adjournment please leave the Chamber as quickly and quietly as possible?
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker.
I wish to present a petition about the widespread concern in Somerset about the post office closures proposed for later this month, which will have a major impact on isolated communities, local businesses and vulnerable people, particularly pensioners. The petition reads:
The Petition of residents of Taunton constituency and others,
Declares that the government are proposing to shut 2,500 Post Offices which represents 1-in-5 of the present total. This will hit local communities in Somerset hard.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to save our vital Post Offices which offer an essential service to communities across Taunton constituency.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.
[P000119]