Rural Post Offices
Brooks Newmark calls for Parliament to debate the closure of rural post offices. The Government claim they support rural post offices, yet in the Braintree constituency rural post offices are being closed year after year.
Mr. Brooks Newmark (Braintree) (Con): You will be well aware, Mr. Deputy Speaker, that for quite some time the East Anglian Daily Times has been running a campaign entitled "Save our post offices". The Leader of the House has assured us that the Government support rural post offices, but in my constituency they are being closed year after year. All that we are asking for is a debate on the subject, so that we can agree on whether there is or is not a problem. May we have such a debate?
Mr. Hoon: I have made clear the Government's support for rural postal services, and I have made clear in the context of the specific issue that has been raised why I believe that the Government's policy is right. I am sure that there will be opportunities to debate these matters in due course.
