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12 Oct 2009 : Column 664W

Post Offices: Bank Services

Joan Walley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the merits of establishing a state-owned post bank based upon the Post Office network. [289712]

Mr. McFadden: The idea of a state-owned Post Bank as proposed by, among others, the Post Bank Coalition, is an interesting contribution to the debate on Post Office financial services. The Government's priorities with respect to Post Office personal financial services are that the Post Office grows this important part of its business and continues to increase the range of products available across the network. This is an aim that the Business and Enterprise Select Committee report on 'Post Offices-Securing Their Future' supports. Post Office Ltd is working hard on this and has recently announced that it aims to launch a current account next year.

Post Offices: Birmingham

Mr. Godsiff: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many post office branches in Birmingham Sparkbrook & Small Heath constituency have been closed in each year since 2004; and how many such branches have been replaced by Outreach services. [291565]

Mr. McFadden: The Department does not hold the information requested. I have therefore asked Alan Cook, Managing Director of Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to the hon. Friend and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Post Offices: Hertfordshire

Mike Penning: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many post office branches there were in (a) Hemel Hempstead constituency and (b) Hertfordshire in each of the last 30 years. [289408]

Mr. McFadden: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. (POL).

I have therefore asked Alan Cook, Managing Director of POL, to reply direct to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

Regional Development Agencies: Finance

Robert Neill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what changes are being made to the (a) total budget and (b) capital budget of each regional development agency as a consequence of the policies announced in the Draft Legislative programme 2009-10 in each year for which information is available. [289549]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Changes to budgets, resulting from new legislation, would normally be made once the Bills are enacted. We do not envisage any likely changes to RDA budgets as a consequence of the policies announced in the Draft Legislative programme 2009-10.

12 Oct 2009 : Column 665W

Regional Development Agencies: Manpower

Margaret Moran: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) black and minority ethnic people and (b) women have served as board members of a regional development agency (RDA); and what percentage of the board of each RDA each group represented in each year since 2001. [291760]

12 Oct 2009 : Column 666W

Ms Rosie Winterton: Details of the number of women and black and minority ethnic people on the Regional Development Boards since 2001 and shown as a percentage of the Board.

For new appointments up to April 2009 BIS have 33.5 per cent. women and 4. per cent. black and ethnic minorities on their boards overall. BIS targets by 2011 are 50 per cent. board members to be women and 11 per cent. ethnic minority.

Women
	2001		2002		2003		2004		2005		2006		2007		2008		2009
RDA	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
AWM	3	23	2	13	3	20	4	27	3	20	3	20	3	20	3	20	3	20
EEDA	3	25	5	33	5	33	6	40	6	40	4	27	3	20	4	27	5	33
EMDA	4	29	6	40	6	40	3	20	3	20	4	27	3	20	4	27	4	27
NWDA	4	31	4	27	4	27	4	27	5	33	5	33	5	33	5	33	4	27
One NE	3	23	5	33	6	40	6	40	6	40	5	33	5	33	5	33	5	33
SEEDA	5	33	4	27	4	27	3	20	3	20	3	20	4	27	3	20	4	27
SWRDA	3	23	4	27	4	27	5	33	5	33	5	33	6	40	5	33	5	33
YF	4	31	6	40	5	33	6	40	6	40	6	40	6	40	6	40	5	33
Total	29	27	36	30	37	31	37	31	37	31	35	29	35	29	35	29	35	29

Ethnic Minority
	2001		2002		2003		2004		2005		2006		2007		2008		2009
RDA	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
AWIW	2	15	3	20	2	13	2	13	1	7	1	7	1	7	0	0	0	0
EEDA	0	0	2	13	2	13	1	7	1	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	7
EM DA	0	0	2	13	2	13	1	7	2	13	2	13	1	7	1	7	1	7
NWDA	0	0	1	7	1	7	1	7	1	7	1	7	0	0	0	0	0	0
One NE	1	8	2	13	2	13	1	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
SEEDA	0	0	1	7	1	7	2	13	2	13	2	13	2	13	2	13	2	13
SWRDA	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
YF	1	8	1	7	1	7	1	7	1	7	1	7	1	7	1	7	2	13
Total	4	4	12	10	11	9	9	8	8	7	7	6	5	4	4	3	6	5

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