The Government has committed nearly £2 billion since 2010 to maintain a network of at least 11,500 branches and to protect and modernise the network by 2018, securing its long-term sustainable future. The Post Office is continuing to meet strict access criteria that see, for example, 99% of the population living within three miles of a Post Office outlet.<\/p>
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The Post Office is also modernising and improving its national network, with thousands of branches benefiting from investment under the Government funded Network Transformation programme. To date over 3,300 post offices have already converted, to the new Local and Main models, delivering benefits to customers such as much longer opening hours and improved branch environments. In total, these modernised branches are providing over 85,000 additional opening hours a week; ensuring customers can access Post Office services at a time convenient to them.<\/p>
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Additionally, where a post office is \u201cthe last shop in the community\u201d, which is the case in many rural communities, that branch is designated as a Community Branch, and is able to access and benefit from the £20 million Government funded Community Branch Fund.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1513", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jo Swinson"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "East Dunbartonshire"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Jo Swinson"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-11-07", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-11-07T14:52:55.5449245Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "26"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Innovation and Skills"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Innovation and Skills"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2014-10-30", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Post Offices: Rural Areas"} , "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, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the impact of the network relocation programme on rural post offices.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/384", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Thirsk and Malton"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Miss Anne McIntosh"} ], "uin" : "212643"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/101858", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/101858/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
An assessment of the economic and environmental impacts of Greening in England was published in the evidence paper which accompanied the consultation of the Common Agricultural Policy in October 2013. A revised assessment will be published alongside the associated Statutory Instruments towards the end of the year.<\/p>
The Crop Diversification requirement was assessed to affect 7% of farms, containing 12% of the arable area. The costs in terms of foregone production were estimated to lie between £12.3m and £99.5m per annum, with a central estimate of £55.9m.<\/p>
The Ecological Focus Area requirement was assessed to affect between 20% and 40% of farms, containing between 30% and 50% of the arable area. The costs in terms of foregone production were estimated to lie between £24.6m and £49.2m per annum.<\/p>
The evidence paper was published here:<\/p>