Chamber
Plenary, 21 Dec 2006
21 Dec 2006 · S2 · Plenary
Item of business
Post Offices
I welcome the debate, which provides an opportunity to discuss the future of the post office network.
Over the past few months I have visited a number of sub-post offices, both rural and urban, in my region. Their concerns are similar. Age Concern carried out a poll that showed that 99 per cent of older people in rural areas consider the local post office to be a lifeline and more than half of them feared that closures would leave them more isolated. Likewise, in urban areas, the sub-post office staff said that the post office was a lifeline for the elderly, disabled and vulnerable. That applies particularly to the most deprived areas of our towns. Help the Aged points out in its briefing that post office closures will have the greatest impact on people who are already vulnerable to social and financial exclusion.
Of the post offices that have already closed, 76 per cent had a shop attached and 82 per cent of those shops closed when the post office did. Those lifelines are being lost in our communities with little reference to the community campaigning that is going on. The Dumfries and Galloway elderly forum campaigned hard to save rural post offices as well as the main post office in Dumfries, but it was unsuccessful. It has also lobbied extremely hard for Post Office card accounts to be retained. I hope that someone somewhere is listening to those people, because the situation is similar in Irvine and Kilwinning, where the main post offices have closed despite a huge campaign to keep them open.
It seems that whatever the voice of the people is, it is not being listened to. I note—and I am sure that the Dumfries and Galloway elderly forum and the elderly forum in Irvine and Kilwinning will also note—that no ministers are here today to listen to this extremely important debate.
The withdrawal of the Post Office card account could cost the network at least £100 million a year in lost income. Add to that the impact of the loss of services such as TV licence contracts and passport processing.
There are on-going reductions in services, job losses, reductions in wages and a worsening of conditions. The closure of main post offices and the transfer of services to Spar shops and so on have meant that conditions have worsened and wages have been reduced. That has a direct impact on the local economy, as Mark Ruskell said. The post offices are a vibrant part of the community and make a difference to the local economy and small businesses.
Post offices are frequently the only place to access cash locally; only 4 per cent of villages have a bank, but 60 per cent have a post office. Many elderly people do not have bank accounts either. Some 60 per cent of bank current accounts are still not accessible in post offices. There is absolutely no question but that opening up post office services could save them. Some 4.3 million people use the Post Office card account each week and around 1 million older people in the UK do not have bank accounts. We can address that and save the post offices, but we have to ensure that someone somewhere is listening. At the moment, not much listening is going on in here and there is certainly no listening to the communities that are campaigning to save these services.
Over the past few months I have visited a number of sub-post offices, both rural and urban, in my region. Their concerns are similar. Age Concern carried out a poll that showed that 99 per cent of older people in rural areas consider the local post office to be a lifeline and more than half of them feared that closures would leave them more isolated. Likewise, in urban areas, the sub-post office staff said that the post office was a lifeline for the elderly, disabled and vulnerable. That applies particularly to the most deprived areas of our towns. Help the Aged points out in its briefing that post office closures will have the greatest impact on people who are already vulnerable to social and financial exclusion.
Of the post offices that have already closed, 76 per cent had a shop attached and 82 per cent of those shops closed when the post office did. Those lifelines are being lost in our communities with little reference to the community campaigning that is going on. The Dumfries and Galloway elderly forum campaigned hard to save rural post offices as well as the main post office in Dumfries, but it was unsuccessful. It has also lobbied extremely hard for Post Office card accounts to be retained. I hope that someone somewhere is listening to those people, because the situation is similar in Irvine and Kilwinning, where the main post offices have closed despite a huge campaign to keep them open.
It seems that whatever the voice of the people is, it is not being listened to. I note—and I am sure that the Dumfries and Galloway elderly forum and the elderly forum in Irvine and Kilwinning will also note—that no ministers are here today to listen to this extremely important debate.
The withdrawal of the Post Office card account could cost the network at least £100 million a year in lost income. Add to that the impact of the loss of services such as TV licence contracts and passport processing.
There are on-going reductions in services, job losses, reductions in wages and a worsening of conditions. The closure of main post offices and the transfer of services to Spar shops and so on have meant that conditions have worsened and wages have been reduced. That has a direct impact on the local economy, as Mark Ruskell said. The post offices are a vibrant part of the community and make a difference to the local economy and small businesses.
Post offices are frequently the only place to access cash locally; only 4 per cent of villages have a bank, but 60 per cent have a post office. Many elderly people do not have bank accounts either. Some 60 per cent of bank current accounts are still not accessible in post offices. There is absolutely no question but that opening up post office services could save them. Some 4.3 million people use the Post Office card account each week and around 1 million older people in the UK do not have bank accounts. We can address that and save the post offices, but we have to ensure that someone somewhere is listening. At the moment, not much listening is going on in here and there is certainly no listening to the communities that are campaigning to save these services.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Murray Tosh):
Con
The next item of business is a debate on motion S2M-5349, in the name of John Swinney, on post offices.
Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP):
SNP
This debate is an opportunity for the Parliament to express its concern about the future of the post office network in Scotland and the sweeping changes that...
Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab):
Lab
I am pleased to speak in this debate. My constituency is both urban and rural, and constituents, particularly those belonging to the National Federation of S...
Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con):
Con
I welcome the debate. As we have heard, the future of the rural sub-post office network is a vital issue for much of Scotland. I appreciate that support for ...
Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
Given what the member has just said, and given the impact of the issue on vulnerable communities, does the member not find it quite disgraceful that not a si...
Murdo Fraser:
Con
Christine Grahame makes a fair point. The motion and the Labour amendment refer to the Scottish Executive but no one is here to represent the Executive's vie...
Dr Jackson:
Lab
Will the member give way?
Murdo Fraser:
Con
I would like to make some progress, if I may. The Labour Government uses as its excuse for those closures the fact that post office revenue has declined. The...
Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab):
Lab
Will the member take an intervention?
Murdo Fraser:
Con
I am afraid that I am in my last minute, Mr McNeil. The Government introduced the Post Office card account then pledged to discontinue it but, in the teeth o...
Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD):
LD
The future of our post offices is an important, although reserved issue. Research by the Liberal Democrat party indicates that between 1999 and this year, ju...
Murdo Fraser:
Con
Is it still Liberal Democrat policy to privatise the Post Office?
Euan Robson:
LD
It is not and never has been Liberal Democrat policy to privatise the Post Office, and Mr Fraser is clearly mistaken in his view that it was.The UK Governmen...
Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP):
SSP
It is important to place the debate in context, including a political context. The Central Scotland region lost a total of 19 post offices in the most recent...
Richard Lochhead (Moray) (SNP):
SNP
I am delighted that the SNP has chosen to debate this vital issue, but I am extremely disappointed that ministers have chosen to be absent. That shows contem...
Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab):
Lab
Presiding Officer, if you will indulge me, I will welcome to the Parliament the pupils from Earnhill primary school in my constituency. I am sure that everyo...
Mr Swinney:
SNP
Look behind you!
Mr McNeil:
Lab
How would the story go if the fairy godmother across the Thames—possibly played by Ian Krankie, with Jimmy Krankie as Nicola—waved her magic wand and made Sc...
Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green):
Green
I am grateful to the SNP for giving us another opportunity to discuss in the chamber the future of the post office network.The motion that we are debating re...
Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD):
LD
Post offices are the lifeblood of communities in both rural and urban areas, particularly when they are combined with other services, such as the local shop....
Richard Lochhead:
SNP
If the Liberal Democrats take the issue so seriously, why are their ministers absent from today's important debate?
Nora Radcliffe:
LD
That is not worth answering.The UK Government will not extend its card contract beyond 2010, claiming that it never intended to renew the POCA contract. That...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Trish Godman):
Lab
You should finish now, Ms Radcliffe.
Nora Radcliffe:
LD
Post offices play a crucial role in the community, particularly in rural areas, and must be protected. Much could and should be done to maintain a unique net...
Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (Sol):
Sol
I welcome the debate, which provides an opportunity to discuss the future of the post office network.Over the past few months I have visited a number of sub-...
Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
One of the roots of the problem is that there has been not a lack of Government support but a lack of consistent Government support for the post office netwo...
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
Lab
We move to winding-up speeches. Carolyn Leckie has a tight four minutes.
Carolyn Leckie:
SSP
I will do my best to stay within that time.I want to pick up on issues that I did not have time to talk about earlier. A big argument, on the wider impact of...
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
Lab
You should be finishing now, Ms Leckie.
Carolyn Leckie:
SSP
What is the position of Labour MSPs? None of them has commented on that. Will Labour members support the position of the 39 Labour MPs who opposed the franch...