To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the reasons were for not including environmental impact as a factor to be taken into account in the Post Office Network Change programme by Post Office Ltd. (192871)

As stated in the Government's response to the public consultation on the post office network, closures will principally affect a combination of branches in areas of over-provision and those that are least used. Post Office Ltd. will be tasked with taking a strategic overview of service provision to ensure that in areas of over-provision, people should be able to find an alternative branch nearby and the vast majority will still be within walking distance of their nearest office. With the least used, the number of people affected will, by the nature of the offices, be low. The introduction of new access criteria will minimise the impact by ensuring that the network remains readily accessible across the UK—with far greater coverage than any other retailer, financial service provider or public service provider.

The 21 area plans published by Post Office Ltd. to date indicate that on average 99 per cent. of customers will see no change to the post office branch they currently use or will be within one mile of an alternative branch.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will change Government access criteria for the Network Change programme to require Post Office Ltd. to take environmental impacts into specific consideration. (192872)

The access criteria set a minimum density of coverage to maintain a national network of post offices and reasonable access to post office services across the country by requiring that nationally, 99 per cent. of the UK population is within three miles of their nearest post office outlet and 90 per cent. within one mile.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the basis is for statements by the Post Office that Government access criteria do not require Post Office Ltd. to take environmental impacts into specific consideration as part of their Network Change programme. (192873)

In developing proposals for post office closures and new outreach sites under its Network Change programme, Post Office Ltd. is require to comply with the access criteria set by Government, to take account of geographical factors, including distance to alternative outlets, and to consider availability of public transport, local demographics and the impact on local economies. Experience with the programme to date shows that, on average, for 90 per cent. of customers there is no change to the post office branch they currently use. And on average 99 per cent. will either see no change or be within one mile of an alternative branch.