The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK; this is why the Government committed to safeguard the post office network and protect existing rural services. The overall number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over 11,500 branches thanks to significant Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010.<\/p>
The Government welcomes the development of banking services at post offices and the recently announced increased fees for postmasters. Payments to the Post Office and to postmasters under the Banking Framework agreement are commercially confidential and cannot be publicly disclosed.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4487", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Rochester and Strood"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Kelly Tolhurst"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-07-02", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-07-02T14:10:19.647Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "201"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-06-25", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Post Offices: Bank Services"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much and what proportion of fees paid by banks to the Post Office Limited have been paid to sub-postmasters in the most recent period for which figures are available.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4440", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Marion Fellows"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Motherwell and Wishaw"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Marion Fellows"} ], "uin" : "269081"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1133697", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1133697/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Government Response to the recent Call for Evidence on Creating a Responsible Payment Culture, published on the 19 June, sets out that we will be consulting on the merits of strengthening the Commissioner\u2019s ability to assist and advocate for small business in the area of late payments.<\/p>
<\/p>
This will include seeking views on sanctions, including but not limited to financial penalties. It is important that we consider views through public consultation before awarding the Commissioner new powers.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4487", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Rochester and Strood"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Kelly Tolhurst"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-06-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-06-26T11:52:50.987Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "201"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-06-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Small Businesses: Billing"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what criteria will need to be met for the Small Business Commissioner to fine businesses for late payments to small medium enterprises; and how much those fines will be.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4440", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Marion Fellows"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Motherwell and Wishaw"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Marion Fellows"} ], "uin" : "267330"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1129797", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1129797/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK. This is why the Government committed to safeguard the post office network and protect existing rural services. The overall number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over 11,500 branches thanks to significant Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010.<\/p>
<\/p>
While the Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office, it allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business. The number of Post Office card accounts active or opened in each of the last five years are operational matters for Post Office Limited. I have therefore asked Alisdair Cameron, the Group interim Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the Hon. Member on this matter. A copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4487", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Rochester and Strood"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Kelly Tolhurst"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-06-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-06-12T14:23:19.643Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "201"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-06-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Post Office Card Account"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many Post Office card accounts were (a) active and (b) opened in each of the last five years.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4440", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Marion Fellows"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Motherwell and Wishaw"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Marion Fellows"} ], "uin" : "260059"} ], "itemsPerPage" : 10, "page" : 0, "startIndex" : 1, "totalResults" : 3, "type" : ["http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#ListEndpoint", "http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#Page"]} }