Petitions
Wednesday 6 February 2008
Petition presented to the House but not read on the Floor
Employment and Human Rights
The Petition of Mr Pinakin Pandya,
Declares that his rights under s.54 (1) and s.64 (1)(ii) of the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978 not to be unfairly dismissed until the attainment of the State’s retirement age, have been breached. Further declares that his rights under the Human Rights Act 1998, the Employment Rights Act 1996, the Race Relations Act 1976, the Employment Tribunal Practice and Rules and the Court of Appeal’s Civil Procedure Rules, House of Lords Rules, and the European Court of Human Rights Rules, have been denied. Further declares that his rights under articles 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights have been breached by the UK, the European Court of Human Rights, and the United Nations, culminating in failure of the judicial system.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to review the Human Rights Act insofar as it relates to employment tribunals and legislation.
And the Petitioners remain, etc. [P000121]
Observations
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Post Office Closures
The Humble Petition of Joan Holder, Huby Post Office, York and others of like disposition,
That they fear the proposed Post Office Network review will result in unacceptable numbers of Post Office closures. They wish to see their access to Post Offices across North Yorkshire remain as wide as is currently the case and that there be no further cuts in postal services. They recognise that their Post Offices provide a vital service in a rural community to the most vulnerable, the elderly, the less mobile and those with young families.
Wherefore your Petitioners pray that your Honourable House urges the Government to reverse the Post Office's proposed Network Change Programme.
And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray, &c. —[Presented by Miss Anne McIntosh , Official Report, 21 January 2008; Vol. 470, c. 1325.] [P000109]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform:
The Government fully recognises the important social and economic role of post offices, particularly in rural and deprived urban communities. That is why it is determined to maintain a national post office network allowing people to have reasonable access across the
whole country and has put in place a new policy and financial framework to achieve this. The Government has been investing substantial sums in the post office network, totalling £2 billion since 1999. That has, for example, paid for a computer link-up for every post office as well as support for non-commercial branches since 2003. It has decided to extend that support to 2011 with the provision of up to another £1.7 billion additional funding.
In its response to the consultation on the Post Office network the Government announced in May 2007 confirmation of its decision to extend funding of up to £1.7 billion to 2011, including provision of £150 million Social Network Payment to support the post office network up to 2011. The Government strategy includes provision for 2,500 compensated closures and 500 new Outreach services.
The 500 new and innovative Outreach locations, operated in partnership with other local services such as in pubs, village halls, churches or in mobile post offices, will mitigate closures, primarily in smaller and more remote communities. Nevertheless, to ensure sustainability, there will need to be up to 2,500 compensated post office closures within the defined access criteria.
Post Office Limited (POL) is responsible for implementing the network change programme at a local level. It is developing a rolling programme of some 50 local consultations on detailed area plans, based on groups of Parliamentary constituencies. The first area plans went out to local consultation on 2 October last year and these plans will continue to be rolled out at regular intervals until next July with the whole programme scheduled to take around 15 months to complete. The consultation period for North Yorkshire with Yorkshire East and Keighley finished on 17 January 2008 and POL are expected to announce final decisions on 8 February 2008.
POL develops its proposals with the participation of sub-postmasters, local authorities and the consumer watchdog, Postwatch, and takes into account the numeric access criteria set out by Government as well as local factors affecting ease of access, such as local geography: rivers, mountains etc when drawing up its implementation plans. POL is also required to consider the availability of public transport and alternative access to key post office services, local demographics and the impact on the local economy. Local consultations provide the opportunity to raise any specific concerns over particular proposals.
The Government does not have a role in proposals or decisions for individual post offices. No decisions on individual Post Offices are taken until after local consultations. Those decisions are made by POL in light of the responses to the consultation while subject to a four-stage appeals process involving Postwatch. The Review Process for closure decisions after public consultation process applies where Postwatch shows that, for an individual branch:
POL has not given due consideration to material evidence received during the public consultation in coming to its decision or;
where evidence emerges from the consultation that the proposal for the branch does not meet the Government's policy requirements.
The aim of the further review process is for POL and Postwatch to reach an agreed way forward by bilateral review with 3 stages available at increasing levels of seniority. A recent addition to the review process provides that for very difficult cases which remain unresolved after stage 3, Allan Leighton, Chairman of Royal Mail Group will review the issues and reach a final decision.
Post Office Closures (Harrogate and Knaresborough)
The Petition of residents, employees in and visitors to the Borough of Harrogate and Knaresborough and all those seriously concerned about the decision of the Post Office to review the future of High Harrogate Sub Post Office, 19 Devonshire Place, Harrogate; Leeds Road Sub Post Office, 11 Leeds Road, Harrogate; and Stockwell Sub Post Office, 2 Chain Lane, Knaresborough.,
Declares the importance of these Sub Post Offices to thousands of people living, working in and visiting Harrogate and Knaresborough and surrounding areas, including the more elderly and disabled; and reminds Members of Parliament of the number of closures of Local Sub Post Offices in the Harrogate and Knaresborough area over recent years.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to make clear to the Post Office the importance of these Offices continuing as a Sub Post Office and the benefit of withdrawing as soon as possible any proposals which put at risk any of the existing services provided from this Office.
And the Petitioners remain, etc. —[Presented by Mr. Phil Willis , Official Report, 14 January 2008; Vol. 470, c. 761.] [P000105]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform:
The Government fully recognises the important social and economic role of post offices, particularly in rural and deprived urban communities. That is why it is determined to maintain a national post office network allowing people to have reasonable access across the whole country and has put in place a new policy and financial framework to achieve this. The Government has been investing substantial sums in the post office network, totalling £2 billion since 1999. That has, for example, paid for a computer link-up for every post office as well as support for non-commercial branches since 2003. It has decided to extend that support to 2011 with the provision of up to another £1.7 billion additional funding.
In its response to the consultation on the Post Office network the Government announced in May 2007 confirmation of its decision to extend funding of up to £1.7 billion to 2011, including provision of £150 million Social Network Payment to support the post office network up to 2011. The Government
strategy includes provision for 2,500 compensated closures and 500 new Outreach services.
The 500 new and innovative Outreach locations, operated in partnership with other local services such as in pubs, village halls, churches or in mobile post offices, will mitigate closures, primarily in smaller and more remote communities. Nevertheless, to ensure sustainability, there will need to be up to 2,500 compensated post office closures within the defined access criteria.
Post Office Limited (POL) is responsible for implementing the network change programme at a local level. It is developing a rolling programme of some 50 local consultations on detailed area plans, based on groups of Parliamentary constituencies. The first area plans went out to local consultation on 2 October this year and these plans will continue to be rolled out at regular intervals until next July with the whole programme scheduled to take around 15 months to complete. The consultation period for North Yorkshire with Yorkshire East and Keighley finished on 17 January 2008 and POL are expected to announce final decisions on 8 February 2008.
POL develops its proposals with the participation of sub-postmasters, local authorities and the consumer watchdog, Postwatch, and takes into account the numeric access criteria set out by Government as well as local factors affecting ease of access, such as local geography: rivers, mountains etc when drawing up its implementation plans. POL is also required to consider the availability of public transport and alternative access to key post office services, local demographics and the impact on the local economy. Local consultations provide the opportunity to raise any specific concerns over particular proposals.
The Government does not have a role in proposals or decisions for individual post offices. No decisions on individual Post Offices are taken until after local consultations. Those decisions are made by POL in light of the responses to the consultation while subject to a four-stage appeals process involving Postwatch. The Review Process for closure decisions after public consultation process applies where Postwatch shows that, for an individual branch:
POL has not given due consideration to material evidence received during the public consultation in coming to its decision or;
where evidence emerges from the consultation that the proposal for the branch does not meet the Government's policy requirements.
The aim of the further review process is for POL and Postwatch to reach an agreed way forward by bilateral review with 3 stages available at increasing levels of seniority. A recent addition to the review process provides that for very difficult cases which remain unresolved after stage 3, Allan Leighton, Chairman of Royal Mail Group will review the issues and reach a final decision.
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