Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and his counterparts in Northern Ireland on the closure of major post offices and how this impacts unemployment across the province.

To create a long-term, sustainable future for post offices in communities across the UK, Post Office is transitioning to a fully franchised network. All 108 Directly Managed Branches (DMBs) – including Bangor and Newtownards in Northern Ireland – are within scope of these changes.

The Government fully recognises the impact that Post Office branch closures can have on local communities. While decisions on the specific circumstances of each DMB are an operational matter for Post Office Limited, we understand that Post Office is actively advertising for an additional local branch in the town centres of both locations, complementing existing coverage in the area.

In terms of the employees of those branches, all employees were offered TUPE transfer, settlement agreements, or redeployment.