Post offices - securing their future - Business and Enterprise Committee Contents


Memorandum submitted by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

  Thank you for your letter of 4 March on the provision of services through the Post Office Network. I apologise for the delay in replying.

  The Post Office Network is important for the work of Defra not least because many branches are situated in rural areas and play an important social and economic role in those communities. Additionally any new opportunities for Government services across the Post Office network need to take full account of the needs of rural as well as urban residents—This means that rural residents, where appropriate, should be able to take equitable advantage of any benefits that expansion of delivery of Government services through the Post Office network offers.

  Most of Defra's customer interaction is through our NDPBs and Executive Agencies, and there are few direct opportunities to deliver business through Post Office. At the moment the main services we are delivering through the Post Office network are fishing and game licenses. However, we are currently exploring the opportunities and barriers to the provision of delivering additional services through the network. Since we are still at an early stage in the development of this work we do not have sufficient data to currently make an informed statement. However, I am happy to report back to the committee when we have had an opportunity to explore these possibilities further.

16 April 2009






 
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