UKGI00007733 - Letter from Stephen Clarke to Eleanor Shaikh re: Farncombe Post Office - REF TOB2018/01183.

Evidence on official site

UKGI00007733

UKGI00007733
Upper Ground Floor Ref: TOB2018/01183
UK Government 1 Victoria Street ww ukglovguk
London
Investments SWiH OET

Ms Eleanor Shaikh

February 2018

Dear Ms Shaikh,

Thank you for your email of 13 January 2018 to Greg Clark MP about Farncombe Post
Office. The Minister receives a large amount of correspondence every day and is unable to
reply to each one personally. Your email was passed to UK Government Investments, who
manage the Government’s ownership of the Post Office, and I have been asked to reply.

The Government recognises the important role that the Post Office plays in Farncombe and
in communities across the UK. This is why the Government committed in its manifesto to
safeguard the Post Office network. Since 2010, the number of branches in the network has
been at its most stable for decades due to over £2bn in investment. This investment has
delivered the refreshed customer environments, increased opening hours and the efficiency
of operation which is needed to succeed in the competitive and changing markets in which
the Post Office operates. It has also put the network on a more sustainable footing, removing
significant losses from the business and thereby reducing the burden on the taxpayer.

However, while the Post Office is publicly owned, it operates as a commercial business
within competitive markets. The Government sets the parameters in which the Post Office
operates — including its geographic reach and the key services it offers — and then allows the
Post Office to operate as an independent commercial organisation within those parameters.
As such, the Government does not play a direct role in the day-to-day responsibilities of the
company, including the investigation and suspension of subpostmasters or the operation of
IT systems, and cannot intervene in any disputes or litigation in relation to this.

I understand that the Post Office wrote to Jeremy Hunt MP on 14 December 2017 and
directly to you on 10 January 2018 on this matter and that they are working hard to resolve
the issue with the local subpostmaster and to restore Postal services to the Farncombe
community. The Post Office have also assured me that their Horizon system is robust and
reliable. It used by over 11,600 branches for numerous services every day, and has been for
a number of years.

Yours sincerely,
Stephen Clare

Stephen Clarke

UK Government Investments Limited is a company registered in England and Wales with company number 9774296.
Its registered office is at 27-28 Eastcastle Street, London W1W 8DH.
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