Written question asked by Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 15 January 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 19 January 2004. It was answered by Stephen Timms (Labour) on Monday, 19 January 2004 on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Dept of Trade and Industry

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what definition of contiguous population is used by the Post Office for classification of post offices as urban for the purposes of closure; and if she will make a statement.

Answer: Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what definition of contiguous population is used by the Post Office for classification of post offices as urban for the purposes of closure; and if she will make a statement. [149213] Mr. Timms: The classification of a post office branch as urban or rural is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. Mapped contiguous built up areas with a population exceeding 10,000 are classified by the company as urban. The company uses a geographical mapping model that enables it to adopt a consistent approach to classification across the country.

Secondary information