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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2019 to Question 244157 on Post Offices: Pay, for what reasons exceptional payments are made by Post Office Ltd; and how (a) many payments were made and (b) much was paid under each category of reason in (i) Scotland, (ii) Wales, (iii) Northern Ireland, and (iv) each region of England, in each of the last five years.

While the Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office, it allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business.

This is an operational matter for Post Office Limited with no BEIS involvement in the decision-making process. I understand that Alisdair Cameron, the Group interim Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, wrote to the hon Member on this matter on 16 May, providing information on the level of exceptional payments made to Post Offices over the last five years. I have asked him to respond to the hon Member’s further questions. A copy of his reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.