S.C.B.
Amendment Paper as at
Tuesday 22nd February 2000
STANDING COMMITTEE B
Mr Alan Johnson
That, during proceedings on the Postal Services Bill, the Committee do meet on Tuesdays at half-past Ten o'clock and at half-past Four o'clock and on Thursdays at Nine o'clock and at half-past One o'clock.
POSTAL SERVICES BILL
NOTE
The Amendments have been arranged in accordance with the Order to be proposed by Mr Alan Johnson.
Mr Alan Johnson
To move, That the Bill be considered in the following order, namely: Clause 1, Schedule 1, Clauses 3 to 5, Clauses 31 to 39, Clause 2, Schedule 2, Clauses 40 to 50, Clauses 6 to 30, Clause 51, Schedule 3, Clauses 52 to 79, Schedule 4 and 5, Clauses 80 to 93, Schedule 6, new Clauses, new Schedules, Clauses 94 to 101, Schedules 7 and 8, Clauses 102 to 105.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
2
Clause 4, page 2, line 25, after 'packets', insert 'and relevant postal items'.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
3
Clause 4, page 2, line 28, after 'packets', insert 'and relevant postal items'.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
4
Clause 4, page 2, line 30, after 'packets', insert 'and relevant postal items'.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
5
Clause 4, page 2, line 33, after 'packets', insert 'and relevant postal items'.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
1
Clause 4, page 2, line 40, at end insert 'where the prices under such agreements are geared to the costs associated of providing the services to those customers,'.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
6
Clause 4, page 3, line 16, after first 'packets', insert 'or relevant postal items'.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
7
Clause 4, page 3, line 16, after second 'packets', insert 'or relevant postal items'.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
8
Clause 4, page 3, line 22, leave out from 'Union' to end of line 25 and insert—
'"relevant postal items" means postal packets whose weight does not exceed 2 kilograms and whose dimensions fall within permitted limits, and
"relevant postal packets" means postal packets excluding letters whose weight does not exceed 10 kilograms and whose dimensions fall within permitted limits.'.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
15
Clause 33, page 18, line 29, after 'Kingdom', insert ', the European Community'.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
16
Clause 33, page 18, line 31, after 'Kingdom', insert ', the European Community'.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
17
Clause 36, page 20, line 13, leave out 'any person' and insert 'the Council, a universal service provider, or any licence holder under Part II who is not a universal service provider,'.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
18
Clause 41, page 23, line 13, at end insert 'and'.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
19
Clause 41, page 23, line 14, leave out from 'II' to end of line 16.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
9
Clause 12, page 7, line 32, leave out subsection (2).
Mrs Angela Browing
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
10
Clause 13, page 8, line 13, leave out from first 'licence' to end of line 15 and insert ', and then annually, of such amount as may be necessary to enable the Commission to exercise its functions'.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
11
Clause 29, page 16, line 26, after '(3)', insert 'Subject to this section,'.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
12
Clause 29, page 16, line 38, leave out 'So far as practicable'.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
13
Clause 29, page 16, line 39, leave out 'the Commission considers that'.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
14
Clause 29, page 16, line 41, at end insert ', including the person's commercial interests'.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
22
Clause 57, page 31, line 40, after 'its', insert 'relevant'.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
23
Clause 57, page 31, line 40, at end insert—
'(1A) No loan exceeding £75 million shall be made to the Post Office company or any of its relevant subsidiaries unless—
(a) the Post Office company or the relevant subsidiary has sought prior approval for the loan from the Secretary of State and the Treasury, and
(b) the Secretary of State and the Treasury have given their consent to the loan.'.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
24
Clause 57, page 31, line 42, leave out from 'section' to end of line 43 and insert 'at 0.5 per cent. per annum above the lowest of the standard rates described in paragraph (2A).'.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
25
Clause 57, page 31, line 43, at end insert—
'(2A) For the purposes of subsection (2), the standard rates are the rates (expressed as an annual percentage rate) at which three of the reference banks are offering Sterling deposits in comparable amounts for comparable periods to leading banks in the London interbank market at or about 11.00 a.m. (London time) on a day within a calendar month before the day on which the loan is proposed to be made.
(2B) If the Secretary of State determines that adequate and reasonable means do not exist for ascertaining the standard rates described in subsection (2A), interest shall be paid or loans made by the Secretary of State under this section at the annual rate equal to the average cost to three of the reference banks of funding the loan by whatever means the reference banks determine to be most appropriate plus a further 2 per cent.
(2C) For the purpose of subsections (2A) and (2B) the reference banks are three of the seven largest institutions authorised under the Banking Act 1987 and incorporated in and carrying on deposit-taking business in the United Kingdom.
(2D) The size of an institution is to be determined by reference to its total consolidated gross assets denominated in sterling, as shown in its last published audited end-year accounts.'.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
26
Clause 58, page 32, line 17, after 'its', insert 'relevant'.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
27
Clause 59, page 32, line 41, after 'its', insert 'relevant'.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
28
Clause 60, page 33, line 14, after 'its', insert 'relevant'.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
29
Clause 60, page 33, line 14, leave out'£5,000' and insert '£1,200'.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
30
Clause 60, page 33, line 15, after 'sum', insert ', not exceeding £1,700 million.'.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
31
Clause 64, page 35, line 20, at end insert—
'(2A) The Post Office company shall during each of the first five years following the appointed day send to the Secretary of State a report identifying disposals of property for an amount in excess of £1 million and disposals of property for an amount less than £1 million where the total of the amounts of disposals of property for an amount less than £1 million for any financial year exceeds £1 million as soon as practicable after the end of the financial year in which the disposals were made'.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
33
Clause 86, page 48, line 4, leave out from 'require' to 'to' in line 5 and insert 'a universal service provider or any licence holder under Part II who is not a universal service provider'.
Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb
34
Clause 86, page 48, line 14, at end insert—
'(f) require a universal service provider to keep separate accounts for each of the postal services which may not be provided unless he is a licence holder under Part II and any other postal services, and the accounts for any other postal services shall clearly distinguish between services which are part of a universal postal service and services which are not,
(g) prohibit cross-subsidies by a universal service provider between the postal services which may not be provided unless he is a licence holder under Part II and any other postal services which are not part of a universal postal service.'.
