BEIS0000390
BEIS0000390
RESTRICTED - POLICY & COMMERCIAL
DRAFT MANUSCRIPT NOTE FROM MR McCARTNEY TO THE CHIEF
SECRETARY
BA/POCL PROJECT HORIZON
You will know that as Minister for the Post Office I have been charged with taking
forward the work on preparing an initial draft of our White Paper on the future of
the Post Office.
It has become increasingly clear that given the central importance of the Horizon
project to the future of the counters business of the Post Office, it will be difficult
and perhaps even in practice impossible to issue the White Paper until the future of
Horizon has been settled.
Against this background - and you are aware of the pressures we are under to
achieve early publication of the White Paper - I have become increasingly
concerned at the continuing silence from the Treasury since Jeremy Heywood's
letter of the 28 January. I would very much welcome an urgent chat on as informal
a basis as you like on the progress of the work which your officials are taking
forward under your guidance. I will ask my diary secretary to contact yours shortly
to arrange a suitable time.