Amendments proposed to the Postal Services Bill - continued	House of Commons
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Statutory accounts of the Post Office company

   

Mr Alan Johnson

NC5

*To move the following Clause:—

    '.—(1) For the purposes of any statutory accounts of the Post Office company—

(a) the transfer effected by virtue of section 51 shall be taken to have been a transfer of all the property, rights and liabilities to which the Post Office was entitled or subject immediately before the end of the last accounting year of the Post Office ending before the appointed day and to have been effected immediately after the end of that year, and

(b) the value or amount (as at the time of transfer) of any asset or liability of the Post Office taken to have been transferred to the Post Office company by virtue of paragraph (a) shall be taken to be the value or (as the case may be) the amount assigned to that asset or liability for the purposes of the corresponding statement of accounts prepared by the Post Office in relation to that year.

    (2) For the purposes of any statutory accounts of the Post Office company the amount to be included in respect of any item shall be determined as if anything done by the Post Office (whether by way of acquiring, revaluing or disposing of any asset or incurring, revaluing or discharging any liability, or by carrying any amount to any provision or reserve, or otherwise) had been done by the Post Office company.

    (3) Accordingly (but without prejudice to the generality of subsection (2))—

(a) the amount to be included from time to time in any reserves of the Post Office company as representing its accumulated realised profits shall be determined as if any profits realised and retained by the Post Office had been realised and retained by the Post Office company, and

(b) the amount to be included from time to time in any statutory accounts of the Post Office company as representing its accumulated realised losses shall be determined as if any losses realised by the Post Office had been realised by the Post Office company.

    (4) In this section "statutory accounts", in relation to the Post Office company, means any accounts of that company prepared for the purposes of any provision of the Companies Act 1985 (including group accounts).'.

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Restrictions on use of sums from the disposal of property

   

Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb

NC1

To move the following Clause:—

    '.—The Post Office company shall not use sums from the disposal of property transferred under section 51(1) for the purpose of subscription for, or acquisition of, securities of an incorporated company or other body corporate, promotion of the formation of an incorporated company or participation in the promotion of such a company or acquisition of an undertaking or part of an undertaking.'.

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Reasonable excuse: meaning

   

Mrs Angela Browning
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr Nick Gibb

NC2

To move the following Clause:—

    '.—In sections 68 and 69 reasonable excuse includes intentionally delaying or opening a postal packet in the course of its transmission by post—

(a) pursuant to a request from any constable or the Commissioners of Customs and Excise, or

(b) if a person reasonably suspects that the postal packet contains goods which may be illegal.'.

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Mr Alan Johnson

160

*Schedule     6,     page     73,     line     48,     leave out ', in' and insert 'for'.

   

Mr Alan Johnson

161

*Schedule     6,     page     73,     line     49,     after 'enactment' insert 'or of facilitating the carrying out by any enforcing authority (within the meaning of Part I of the Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978) of any function under a relevant statutory provision (within the meaning of that Order)'.

   

Mr Alan Johnson

162

*Schedule     6,     page     74,     line     25,     leave out 'Supply' and insert 'Services'.

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Prepared 14 Mar 2000