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Postal Services Bill [HL]

I support the noble Lord, Lord Clarke, in the points he has made, including that about no more closures. We all welcomed the Secretary of State’s words, and indeed had I not been sitting down I might have collapsed in a heap. Such a specific commitment was very welcome and pertinent to what we are talking about, particularly the commitment of noble Lords on these Benches to post offices and the universal service. The noble Lord, Lord Clarke, also asked whether the commitment to no more closures is to last for ever. I assume so because it seemed to be made on that basis, but certainly it is welcome, as indeed is his Amendment 81. I shall speak to Amendment 85A, tabled in my name, which addresses a more specific point. We seek to provide for access points specifically "within each postcode district". The general commitment to provide a reasonable number of access points, while well made, does not address the specific argument that has been put to us by a number of people. Using "specifically" again, my colleague the Member for Argyll and Bute has said that his constituency shares a postcode with urban Renfrewshire. This means that many parts of the constituency of Argyll and Bute could be left without a post office. So I look forward to the Minister’s response because this is a key issue, since we are all dedicated to the concept of universal service provision. If the point made in our amendment and that of the noble Lord, Lord Clarke, is not answered specifically, a situation could arise where if delivery of your mail is attempted when you are out, you will be required to go somewhere else to retrieve your post—and that place might well be an unsustainable distance away. I am making this specific point in addition to what the noble Lord, Lord Clarke, has said, and I look forward to the Minister’s specific answer.