Post Office Services: Isolated Communities

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 3:25 pm on 8 February 2024.

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Photo of Gerald Jones Gerald Jones Opposition Whip (Commons), Shadow Minister (Scotland) 3:25, 8 February 2024

I thank the Minister for giving way. I fully accept that there are challenges. For example, many of the people working in our post offices have done so for many years and when they come to retirement, it really is a challenge to get people to take on those businesses. The communities that we have described this afternoon—geographically isolated communities and communities with public transport issues—tend have many older people who often use cash in their transactions. Banking hubs are great in larger towns perhaps, but things are much more difficult in smaller, isolated communities. What other options can be considered so that those communities do not become financial deserts?

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