Post Office chairman Julie Edge has refused to give a list of sub-post office counter locations that are most at risk of closure.
Ms Edge said to do so would breach confidentiality of independent businesses.
She faced increasingly aggressive questioning about post office provision in the House of Keys on Tuesday.
One of those questions came from Lawrie Hooper (LibVan, Ramsey), who wanted to know whether the Post Office board had ’determined which sub-post office counter locations are at greatest risk of closure’.
She said the network of services was continually evolving to respond to customer demand. She said retailers acting as sub-post officers made their own decisions as independent businesses.
’The straight answer is I cannot decide for these individual businesses,’ she said.
’They are individual businesses that will approach Isle of Man Post Office when they make a decision.’
The only business that had contacted the board was Sulby sub-post office, where the retailer had decided to close his business.
’Beyond that we cannot comment on individual retailers’ private business affairs,’ she added.
Mr Hooper claimed that if the Post Office did not have the information, this meant the retail strategy put to and approved by Tynwald last year was ’half-baked’. He said people had a ’right to know’ if their local counter service was at risk.
However Clare Barber (Douglas East) said the Post Office was ’very aware’ of the sub-post offices at risk but to reveal such information in parliament was not the right way of dealing with it.
Mr Hooper subsequently accused the Post Office board of not ’engaging in a culture of openness and transparency’ and had decided people did not have a right to the information.
Ms Edge said the Post Office had information on footfall but not specific details of individual businesses and argued that, as a member of the Department for Enterprise, Mr Hooper should understand business confidentiality.
The Post Office’s retail strategy has been in the spotlight again since the threat of closure of Ballasalla sub-post office became known. Following a consultation, the board has decided to seek expressions of interest in a ’service partner’ at Ballasalla, but that would not include the payment of benefits.
Ayre and Michael MHK Tim Baker said an individual had expressed interest in becoming a fully fledged sub-postmaster and asked why that offer had not been taken up.
Ms Edge said the Post Office would follow the procurement process as set out under financial regulations and there would be an opportunity for someone to pick up on the board’s proposal.
’We are still providing postal services within Ballasalla,’ she said.
’So if there is an individual, he will have to go through, or she will have to go through the individual procurement process and apply.’
Mr Baker asked if every post office was at risk of closure.
Ms Edge replied: ’Isle of Man Post Office is not closing post offices. It is responding to individuals who operate services for the Isle of Man Post Office.’
