Committee
Public Petitions Committee, 22 Jun 2005
22 Jun 2005 · S2 · Public Petitions Committee
Item of business
Current Petitions
Sub-post Office Closures (PE764)
The Executive states in its response that it will discuss that.I want to raise another issue. The petition refers to walking distances sometimes being in excess of two miles. I do not know Musselburgh and I do not know what the Stoneybank area is like, but I would have thought that Musselburgh was big enough to be described as an urban area. In one of its responses, the Post Office states:"our own aim at the end of the Network Reinvention programme is that 95% of the urban population, nationally, will live within one mile of their nearest Post Office branch."Are we being told that that part of Musselburgh falls within the other 5 per cent? That is not clear to me. We should ask the Post Office to clarify what the 5 per cent area is and whether Musselburgh falls within it. I suppose that, if the aim is to cover 95 per cent, someone will be in the 5 per cent and they will be told, "Tough luck."
In the same item of business
The Convener:
Lab
Petition PE764 is from Margaret Tait, on behalf of the Stoneybank Tenants and Residents Association in Musselburgh. It calls on the Scottish Parliament to re...
Mike Watson:
Ind
The response is helpful and quite revealing, but I have to say that it does not deal with the main issue. It deals specifically with post offices that are in...
John Scott:
Con
I support Mike Watson's suggestion of writing to the Executive. If there is money left in the fund, we should ask whether the fund is going to be extended. I...
The Convener:
Lab
We could get clarification on that point and see whether there is scope to extend eligibility for the fund.
Mike Watson:
Ind
The Executive states in its response that it will discuss that.I want to raise another issue. The petition refers to walking distances sometimes being in exc...
The Convener:
Lab
We can ask that legitimate question. We will get the two points clarified and keep the petition open until we have received responses. Is that agreed?Members...