To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of Crown Post Offices that will be closed following his announcement of 11 October 2018.

My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy made no announcement on the Post Office on 11 October 2018.

The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK. This is why the Government committed to safeguard the post office network and protect existing rural services. The overall number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over 11,500 branches thanks to significant Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010. There is no closure or privatisation programme.

While the Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office, it allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business.