STONE CALLS FOR ROYAL BANK TO USE POST OFFICE CASH MACHINES
29th January 2010
Speaking in a debate yesterday about underpinning Scotland's post offices, North MSP Jamie Stone called on the Royal Bank of Scotland to allow its customers to withdraw money from post office automated teller machines. Mr Stone said:-
"It is still not possible to use post office automated teller machines to withdraw money from the Royal Bank of Scotland. Given how much public money the Royal Bank went off with, that is too bad. It should have been a condition of the bail-out that the Royal Bank was required to use the post office network. I hope that Governments—of whatever colour they might happen to be—will adopt that kind of thinking in the future."
In addition Mr Stone mentioned vehicle tax discs and TV licences. He said:-
"If people buy their tax disc online, they will wait four or five days to receive it, whereas they will get it right away if they buy it through the post office. The post office offers a much better service, so we should encourage that sort of use. To draw a parallel with a previous Labour Party debate on local newspapers, if everything goes online, we will be at risk of losing many crucial proper face-to-face services. People's ability to pay for their television licences was taken away from the post office network. If that was given back to post offices, what would that not do to help?"
Speaking after the debate, Mr Stone added:-
"The debate was about whether in Scotland we should offer financial support to our post offices in the same way that the government in Wales already does. Speaker after speaker in the debate underlined the same points - that our post offices provide a vital face-to-face service, one that underpins local communities and businesses. In addition there was agreement across the Chamber that our post offices' contribution to local knowledge about the welfare of the elderly, particularly in remote areas, is crucial. In his response to the debate the Enterprise Minister Jim Mather did appear to take the arguments on board. We shall shortly know if a financial assistance package for our post offices will have a place in the Scottish Government's budget. I sincerely hope that they decide to go ahead with this proposal."
"Part of tonight's debate is about what more we could do with our post offices. Mention has been made of the banks, but it is still not possible to use post office automated teller machines to withdraw money from the Royal Bank of Scotland. Given how much public money the Royal Bank went off with, that is too bad. It should have been a condition of the bail-out that the Royal Bank was required to use the post office network. I hope that Governments—of whatever colour they might happen to be—will adopt that kind of thinking in the future.
If people buy their tax disc online, they will wait four or five days to receive it, whereas they will get it right away if they buy it through the post office. The post office offers a much better service, so we should encourage that sort of use. To draw a parallel with a previous Labour Party debate on local newspapers, if everything goes online, we will be at risk of losing many crucial proper face-to-face services. People's ability to pay for their television licences was taken away from the post office network. If that was given back to post offices, what would that not do to help?
The motion suggests that we should copy the Welsh experience by providing grants for either capital or revenue costs to improve post offices by investing in them. One argument that we used successfully to beat off the proposal to shut Pulteneytown post office in Wick was about that post office's potential as Wick harbour was developed with a marina and other facilities. Luckily, that argument prevailed because we said, "Look what we could do in the future if we invest in the post office now." Therefore, I support very strongly that suggestion in the motion.
It has already been pointed out that post offices support shops, which is true. However, inevitably and sadly, as little shops close—a trend that we seem to have the greatest difficulty in averting, especially in the most rural areas, such as my constituency—communities may often be left with only a post office. Just as primary schools are, post offices are often the hubs of their communities.
Given that we have an ageing population, as other members have said, the contribution that post offices make is crucial. Postmistresses have local knowledge; if the people who run the post office have not seen Mrs MacKenzie—who may live on a remote croft—for a week or two, they will ask whether she is all right and whether anyone has been to visit her."
