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Postal Services Bill [HL]

I have a few questions. We are in the position of looking forward today and of seeing what has happened. I agree with my noble friend that it is interesting to look to the past and note that these days some people are singing a different tune from the one that they used to. I shall come on the present structure. What I am interested in, and we may be able to get some answers on this, is the proposal to separate the Post Office from the Royal Mail. That raises a number of questions. The Post Office itself is the largest retail business in the country; in fact, nowhere does it stretch more than the Royal Mail and nowhere could it offer more services, particularly in relation to banks. When I was speaking before on this matter, I suggested that one of the banks that could be considered was the merged Co-op/Britannia mutual. Certainly, providing all the financial services would be the right way to go. Maybe there were broader reasons for going into a post office in the past, but at the moment you go in to purchase stamps, post a letter or have a parcel weighed and then delivered. I am interested in what the new structure will be because at the moment the Post Office and the Royal Mail are intertwined and dependent on each other. What will the relationship be as we go forward? At the moment, many post offices are for delivery as well as access. Where does that leave them? Will there be access points only for the Post Office in future? We need to know this; we need to know what the structure might be. I will be interested in what my noble friend has to say. I am hoping for a bit of light to be shed on the new relationship; it is vital that we know. I am all in favour of expanding the services, but I am very interested to know whether the access point will still be the Post Office. What about delivery? Indeed, what will be the definition of a post office in the future? We know what it is now, but what will it look like in the future? Will other people be able to deliver? Will we be able to go to other places as well? There are a lot of things that we need to know. Will there be a greater separation between Royal Mail and the Post Office? I look forward to my noble friend explaining the situation between the Post Office as it is now, part of Royal Mail, and as it will be in the future when there are two separate companies, although they will come under one holding company.