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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what (a) safeguards and (b) terms and conditions are in place to ensure that there is no reduction in operating hours when the Post Office transfers a branch to a franchisee.

Providing customers with convenient access to Post Office services is of vital importance. Over the last few years, as part of the Post Office’s programme to modernise their branch network, the Post Office have increased opening hours at almost 6,000 branches, offering in excess of 200,000 additional opening hours overall. Nearly 4,000 branches are now open on Sundays.

When the Post Office franchises a branch to a new partner, they always ensure that the opening hours are at least equal to those in the existing branch. This agreement on hours is formalised in the Post Office’s contract with the partner. However, in the vast majority of cases, opening hours are extended on Saturday afternoons and often branches will open earlier on weekdays and on Sundays. The Post Office’s recent announcement to franchise branches to WHSmith (subject to public consultation) will see opening hours extended on Saturday afternoons and on Sundays.