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21 May 2019 - Post Office network inquiry - Oral evidence

Committee Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee
Inquiry Post Office network inquiry

Tuesday 21 May 2019

Start times: 9:30am (private) 9:30am (public)


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Committee evidence hearing on the Post Office network

The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee will be questioning witnesses from the Communication Workers Union, National Federation of Sub-Postmasters, WH Smith PLC, Association of Convenience Stores, and Post Office Ltd about a range of issues affecting the Post Office network.

Watch the session on parliamentlive.tv

Witnesses

Tuesday 21 May, Grimond Room, Portcullis House

At 9.30am - Panel 1

  • Andy Furey, National Officer, Communication Workers Union
  • Anne Pardoe, Principal Policy Manager, Postal Services and Telecoms, Citizens Advice
  • Callum Greenhow, Chief Executive Officer, National Federation of Sub-Postmasters

At 10.15am - Panel 2

  • Carl Cowling, Managing Director of High Street Business, WH Smith PLC
  • Edward Woodall, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Association of Convenience Stores
  • Alisdair Cameron, Interim Chief Executive, Post Office Ltd

Meeting details

At 9:30am: Oral evidence
Inquiry Post Office network inquiry

Purpose of the session

The Committee is expected to ask questions around the franchising of Post Offices, the reduction of Government subsidies, and the long-term resilience of the service. The evidence session will examine the future of Post Office branches, the relocation of Post Office branches into retailers, the Post Office's modernisation programme and the tie-up with WHSmith, and the operation of Crown Post Offices.

An evidence session with Kelly Tolhurst MP, Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, will be held at a later date.

The BEIS Committee has today published the written evidence submissions for the Post Office network inquiry covering a range of issues relating to franchising, the modernisation programme, and concerns around the current and long-term resilience of the network.

The 49 published submissions have been received from a range of witnesses, including individual sub-postmasters, and from bodies including the Communication Workers Union, National Federation of Sub-Postmasters, Citizens Advice, the Association of Convenience Stores, Which?, National Consumer Council, as well as from the Post Office Ltd, WH Smith and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Location

The Grimond Room, Portcullis House

How to attend