To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the continued availability of post office services in (a) Forest of Dean constituency and (b) other rural communities.

Government protects the sustainability of the branch network – and the rural network in particular - by providing funding on the basis that Post Office meets its minimum access criteria to ensure that, across the country, 99% of the population live within three miles of their nearest Post Office. Government works to ensure Post Office Limited maintains a minimum number of branches and a geographical spread of branches in line with published access criteria. Along with the annual £50 million subsidy, we are providing a further £37.5 million this year to safeguard services in the uncommercial parts of the network.