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Postal Services Bill

The post office network is part of the fabric of rural life. In Northern Ireland, as elsewhere, the local post office is so much more than a retail outlet. We all have access to big shopping centres to which we drive, sometimes for many miles, to do the weekly shopping. But the local post office plugs gaps and helps the wheels of the local economy to run smoothly. The two businesses, Post Office Ltd and Royal Mail, are strongly linked. I am surprised that the Government are using this Bill to sever that link, but we have been reassured that they will continue to operate a business agreement so that local post offices can receive the vital revenue stream for the work they do for Royal Mail. However, the very act of separating Post Office Ltd and Royal Mail undermines the potential value of that relationship to local post offices. My amendment seeks to guarantee that local post offices are able to plan and operate their businesses safe in the knowledge that they will continue to receive the custom from Royal Mail that helps them survive as small businesses. It seeks to make that agreement binding in law for 15 years, a reasonable period during which the remaining network of post offices will have time to establish themselves. I beg to move.