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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the timetable is to recruit new post-masters to the 776 sub-post offices which have temporarily closed.

This is an operational matter for the Post Office. The Government sets the parameters in which Post Office operates – including its geographic reach and the key services it offers – and then allows the Post Office to operate as an independent commercial organisation within those parameters. As such, the Government does not play a role in the day-to-day operational responsibilities of the company. This includes decisions regarding the recruitment of postmasters to any Post Office, whether a Directly Managed Crown branch or one that is operated on the Post office by a franchise partner.