MP Challenges Ministers on Post Office Investment

10.08.46am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 22nd Jan 2007

Richmond Park MP Susan Kramer used her first Commons Question Time as Lib Dem front bench spokesperson on Trade and Industry to challenge the government on long term post office investment.

Having campaigned in Richmond and Kingston to stop further closures of post offices she warned that some of the promised cash would simply go into covering the cost of redundancies caused by a cull of other post offices.

The government had not been transparent about the allocation of the money.

Susan Kramer said:

"The Minister said that his Government are committing an additional £1.7 billion to invest in the post office network over three years.

"Surely, however, that sum includes money for the social network payments-that is, "ticking over" money-and compensation for redundancies and for the cost of closing post offices.

"Will he now tell us what sum will be left over to invest in new business and in training, equipment and marketing? Or is that amount so token that it has no hope of reinvigorating the post office network?"

Speaking afterwards Susan Kramer said:

"The last few years has seen local closures like in Ham which means that there is no local facility now. We will have to be vigilant and campaign to against further moves to erode the local post office network."