UKGI00006528 - Post Office Meeting notes

Evidence on official site

UKGI00006528
UKGI00006528

Post O1 Meeting 9/2/2016

1) The Team provided an update on the consultation of views on the Post Office. A
shorter draft incorporating the views of the SoS SpAds is currently being prepared.
BNR suggested that the draft should mention that the consultation is necessary
because of state aid rules at the beginning.

2) It was suggested that the Minister should meet with the representatives of Unite and
CWU together. The suggested line to take was that the decisions about the future
funding of the Crown Branch network were a commercial matter for Post Office.

Action: BNR Office to investigate the viability of a joint meeting and inform the
SoS office about meeting the unions

3) The Meeting with the SoS on future ownership options was interesting and helpful.
The Team are currently reflecting on the feedback and ae looking to put advice
forward in the next 4-6 weeks. BNR suggested that it would be good to have a key
issues document (similar to the one developed by the IPO) to track the progress of
this and the other issues raised at the catch up.

Action: BNR Office to send key issues document to Shex Team.

4) The reissued Post Office accounts to account for the provisioning issue were issued
last week. There has been no interest in the new accounts from any source.

5) Following on from BNR’s Meeting with Tim Parker where the issue of a cost overrun
on IT had been discussed the contract with IBM had now been cancelled and Fujitsu
retained. This would save Post Office Limited around £60 million overall.

6) Around 300 sub-postmasters would receive letters notifying them of the withdrawal
of the network subsidy. This is the end of a long process of negotiation and
arbitration, there may be a slight rise in correspondence sent to the Minister.

7) BNR would be giving a short talk to the Post Office Women in Leadership event and
the Team are aiming to get a speech to her as soon as possible

8) The QC engaged by Tim Parker to look into the HORIZON IT system is due to
deliver their report soon. He has indicated that there is no systemic problem. The
Team mentioned that there was a possibility of a group action and this had been
trailed in Computer Weekly but had not been picked up more widely.

9) The SoS was visiting a newly modernised Post Office branch in Bromsgrove and
BNR suggested that it might be helpful announce the Post Office apprenticeship
scheme at the same time as he is very supportive of this