Post Office Network

Susan Kramer
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the written answer of 16 January 2007, Official Report, column 1034W, on post office funding, (1) when he expects to publish a detailed breakdown of his funding plan for the post office network;

(2) how much of the subsidy for the post office network announced on 14 December 2006 is for (a) restructuring, (b) modernisation, (c) social network subsidy, (d) new products and services and (e) other support initiatives; and how much of the funding announced will be in (i) cash and (ii) non-cash items.

Jim Fitzpatrick
[holding answer 23 January 2007]: The Government intend to provide up to £1.7 billion, subject to state aid clearance, between now and 2011 in support of the post office network.

A detailed breakdown of our funding is not yet available and will be dependent, following the conclusion of Government's national consultation, on how Post Office Limited intends to implement the necessary restructuring of the network to meet the framework set by Government's proposals.