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>
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 distribution of branches is an operational matter of commercial judgement for Post Office management team. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the Group Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to you on this matter. A copy of her 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" : "2018-12-10", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-12-10T17:52:40.103Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "201"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2018-12-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Post Offices: Closures"} , "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, the (a) number and (b) percentage of main Post Office branch closure consultations that resulted in branches remaining open.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3960", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Henry Smith"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Crawley"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Henry Smith"} ], "uin" : "198801"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1017502", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health and Social Care"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1017502/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
This information is not held centrally.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4067", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Steve Brine"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Winchester"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Steve Brine"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-12-10", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-12-10T15:38:39.683Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2018-11-30", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Cancer"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of (a) leukaemia, (b) non-Hodgkin lymphoma, (c) Hodgkin lymphoma and (d) myeloma cases were diagnosed at each cancer stage in each of the last five years.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3960", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Henry Smith"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Crawley"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Henry Smith"} ], "uin" : "197620"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1010759", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Church Commissioners"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1010759/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Church of England continues to work alongside the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem to support the Christian community in Jordan, Syria, Israel, Palestine and Lebanon. The Church also partners and engages with development and mission agencies working to support Christian communities overseas. Regular pilgrimage visits are made by parishes and dioceses of the Church of England, mainly to those holy sites that are not in conflict zones and which often involve meetings with local Christians<\/p>
Westminster Abbey will be holding a special service on the 4th December at which His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales will attend to offer encouragement to Christians throughout the region and to celebrate the contributions they make to their communities<\/p>
The Archbishop of Canterbury made an official visit to Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Territories in 2017, the primary purpose of which was to affirm the Christian community in the Holy Land, to identify and explore challenges relating to religious freedom and to give encouragement to St. George\u2019s Cathedral in Jerusalem. The Archbishop also met with Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian politicians during his visit<\/p>
During the November parliamentary recess I joined a small group of MPs on a regional visit to see for myself the challenges faced by the Christian community in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. We visited a number of projects that are funded or supported by the Anglican Church, including hospitals and schools. Speaking with the different communities gave a helpful perspective on the significant challenges to the daily lives and movements of people.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/312", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Meriden"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Dame Caroline Spelman"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-11-22", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-11-22T16:11:52.447Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "9"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Church Commissioners"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Church Commissioners"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2018-11-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Christianity: Middle East"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Right Honourable Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what discussions the Church Commissioners have had on maintaining the Christian community in the Middle East.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3960", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Henry Smith"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Crawley"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Henry Smith"}
], "uin" : "193461"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1007016", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1007016/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
As the Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA) are an independent body, it is for them, rather than for the department, to lead on the process for reviewing funding bands for existing standards and on consultation with the business community.<\/p>
The IfA has worked with employer trailblazer groups throughout the review process. The IfA has also discussed the management standards directly with business stakeholders who have made representations.<\/p>
The remaining outcomes of the review of funding bands will be published on GOV.UK by the end of the calendar year.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1523", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Anne Milton"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Guildford"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Anne Milton"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-11-22", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "191384"} , {"_value" : "191385"} ], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-11-22T15:47:57.2Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2018-11-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Managers: Apprentices"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions his Department has had with the business community on the Institute for Apprenticeships' proposed changes in funding bands for management apprenticeships.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3960", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Henry Smith"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Crawley"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Henry Smith"} ], "uin" : "191383"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1007018", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1007018/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
As the Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA) are an independent body, it is for them, rather than for the department, to lead on the process for reviewing funding bands for existing standards and on consultation with the business community.<\/p>
The IfA has worked with employer trailblazer groups throughout the review process. The IfA has also discussed the management standards directly with business stakeholders who have made representations.<\/p>
The remaining outcomes of the review of funding bands will be published on GOV.UK by the end of the calendar year.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1523", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Anne Milton"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Guildford"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Anne Milton"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-11-22", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "191383"} , {"_value" : "191385"} ], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-11-22T15:47:57.247Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2018-11-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Apprentices"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions his Department has had with the Institute for Apprenticeships on the concerns made by the business community on the consultation process into the review of the apprenticeship funding bands.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3960", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Henry Smith"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Crawley"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Henry Smith"} ], "uin" : "191384"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1007021", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1007021/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
As the Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA) are an independent body, it is for them, rather than for the department, to lead on the process for reviewing funding bands for existing standards and on consultation with the business community.<\/p>
The IfA has worked with employer trailblazer groups throughout the review process. The IfA has also discussed the management standards directly with business stakeholders who have made representations.<\/p>
The remaining outcomes of the review of funding bands will be published on GOV.UK by the end of the calendar year.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1523", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Anne Milton"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Guildford"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Anne Milton"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-11-22", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "191383"} , {"_value" : "191384"} ], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-11-22T15:47:57.293Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2018-11-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Apprentices"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the timescale is for the decision on the remaining apprenticeship funding band changes proposed by the Institute for Apprenticeships.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3960", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Henry Smith"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Crawley"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Henry Smith"} ], "uin" : "191385"} ], "itemsPerPage" : 10, "page" : 0, "startIndex" : 1, "totalResults" : 6, "type" : ["http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#ListEndpoint", "http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#Page"]} }