Post Office Ltd In the interest of transparency openness and accountability

The request was partially successful.

Dear Department for Business, Innovation and Skills,

The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Vince Cable stated in a written ministerial statement on
Tuesday 24 January 2012, "when reporting on pay for the previous year, companies will have to provide a single figure for total pay for each director and to explain how the pay awards relate to the performance of the company". In the interest of transparency openness and accountability could Mr Cable please inform me if this will apply to Post Office Ltd and Royal Mail.

Yours faithfully,

Pat Aspinall

FOI Requests, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Dear Ms Aspinall

 

Thank you for your email of 30 March regarding the reporting of directors’
pay by Post Office Ltd and Royal Mail. In your email you sought the
following information:

 

The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Vince Cable
stated in a written ministerial statement on Tuesday 24 January 2012,
"when reporting on pay for the previous year, companies will have to
provide a single figure for total pay for each director and to explain how
the pay awards relate to the performance of the company". In the interest
of transparency openness and accountability could Mr Cable please inform
me if this will apply to Post Office Ltd and Royal Mail.

  

Your email does not contain a request for recorded information held by the
Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS). Where a 'request for
information' does not contain a specific request for copies of information
held by BIS, we deal with such requests as a 'normal course of business'
enquiry rather than a formal request for information under the FOIA or
EIR. This is in accordance with the guidance given in the ICO publication
'Freedom of Information & Environmental Information Regulations – Hints
for Practitioners handling FOI/EIR requests', which states on page 6
"Requests which are not for recorded information, but instead ask
questions, such as "please explain your policy on x" or "please explain
your decision to do y" are not requests for recorded information and
therefore should be treated as routine correspondence.". This publication
is available on the ICO website, and can be accessed via the following
link:
[1]http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/l...

 

I am writing to inform you that, in reporting on pay for the previous year
in their annual reports and accounts, both Post Office Ltd and Royal Mail
will provide a single figure for total pay for each director and explain
how the pay awards relate to the performance of the company.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Royal Mail and Post Office Network Team

show quoted sections

Dear FOI Requests,

Thank you for your prompt reply, could I ask, will the salary details include, the Strategy Director, Sales Director, Chief Information Officer, HR and Corporate Services Director, Financial Services Director, Communications Director and Company Secretary. Post office Ltd informed me it considers that the employees concerned had no expectation that salary information would be released into the public domain and to do so would be an unwarranted intrusion. In this respect Post Office Ltd relies on the exemption contained in Section 40 (2) of the Freedom of Information Act, which concerns personal information. Post Office Ltd believes the disclosure of this information in full would contravene data protection
principles – disclosing such information would be likely to breach the principle of fair and lawful processing.

Yours sincerely,

Pat Aspinall

Dear FOI Requests,

Just to add four of the positions mentioned are paid substantially more than the Prime Minister David Cameron. Is Ms Swinson aware of this.

Yours sincerely,

Pat Aspinall

FOI Requests, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Dear Ms Aspinall,

 

Thank you for your email of 18 April March 2013 regarding the reporting of
directors’ pay by Post Office Ltd and Royal Mail.   In your email you
sought the following information:

 

Will the salary details include, the Strategy Director, Sales Director,
Chief   Information Officer, HR and Corporate Services Director, Financial
Services Director, Communications Director and Company Secretary.  Post
Office Ltd informed me it considers that the employees concerned had no
expectation that salary information would be released into the public
domain and to do so would be an unwarranted intrusion. In this respect
Post Office Ltd relies on the exemption contained in Section 40 (2) of the
Freedom of Information Act, which concerns personal information. Post
Office Ltd believes the disclosure of this information in full would    
contravene data protection principles – disclosing such information would
be likely to breach the principle of fair and lawful processing.

 

Your email does not contain a request for recorded information held by the
Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS). Where a 'request for
information' does not contain a specific request for copies of information
held by BIS, we deal with such requests as a 'normal course of business'
enquiry rather than a formal request for information under the FOIA or
EIR. This is in accordance with the guidance given in the ICO publication
'Freedom of Information & Environmental Information Regulations – Hints
for Practitioners handling FOI/EIR requests', which states on page 6
"Requests which are not for recorded information, but instead ask
questions, such as "please explain your policy on x" or "please explain
your decision to do y" are not requests for recorded information and
therefore should be treated as routine correspondence.". This publication
is available on the ICO website, and can be accessed via the following
link:
[1]http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/l...

 

I am writing to inform you that we do not expect that the salary details
of the Post Office Ltd employees specified in your email will be reported
in the annual reports and accounts of the company.  The remuneration
reporting provisions apply only to members of the Post Office Ltd Board,
which includes two executive directors - the Chief Executive and the
Finance Director.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Royal Mail and Post Office Network Team

show quoted sections

Dear FOI Requests,

Thank you for your reply.

As I understand the positions do not have a salary band/scale. If you do not expect that the salary details of the Post Office Ltd employees specified in my email will be reported in the annual reports and accounts of the company, perhaps in the interest of transparancy and openness POL or BIS should release the information I originally requested from POL.

What is the annual salary of the Post Office Ltd employees specified in my email?

Yours sincerely,

Pat Aspinall

FOI Requests, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

BIS ref: 13/0531

 
Dear Ms Aspinall,

Thank you for your request for information which was received on 23 April
2013. Your request has been passed on to the appropriate official at the
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to deal with.

Your request is being dealt with under the terms of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 and will be responded at the latest by 22 May 2013.

If you have any queries about this email, please contact the information
rights unit at BIS. Please remember to quote the reference number above in
any future communications.

Kind regards,
Information Rights Unit

Security and Information Rights Unit | Department for Business, Innovation
& Skills  | Victoria 3, 5th Floor, 1 Victoria Street, London, SW1H OET|
[1]www.bis.gov.uk

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is making a
difference by supporting sustained growth and higher skills across the
economy. BIS: working together for growth

show quoted sections

FOI Requests, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

1 Attachment

Dear Ms Aspinall,

Please see the attached letter regarding your information request.

Yours sincerely

Information Rights Unit
Security and Information Rights Unit | Department for Business, Innovation
& Skills  | Victoria 3, 5th Floor, 1 Victoria Street, London, SW1H OET|
[1]www.bis.gov.uk

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is making a
difference by supporting sustained growth and higher skills across the
economy. BIS: working together for growth

<<FOI 13 0531 Reply.pdf>>

---------
The Business in You campaign highlights support for start-ups and growing
businesses, and encourages entrepreneurial spirit. For more information
search online for "business in you".

Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or
recorded for legal purposes
----------

References

Visible links
1. http://www.bis.gov.uk/

Dear FOI Requests,

You made a statement and I quote "The Government is committed to act as a responsible owner of Post Office Ltd" (SECURING THE POST OFFICE. NETWORK IN THE DIGITAL AGE. NOVEMBER 2010).

Would it be fair to say your commitment falls short if you are not aware of the salaries paid to your top directors, especially as previously stated the salaries are substantilly more than the Prime Minster.

In the interest of fairness would it not be possible for you to ask your employees to release the information that I have requested.

Would you agree salary scales should be published as a matter of routine, the more senior staff who are responsible for major policy and financial initiatives should expect greater scrutiny of their pay. I would be more than willing to accept the salary details requested to be narrowed down to the nearest £5000.

Yours sincerely,

Pat Aspinall

Dear Department for Business, Innovation and Skills,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Department for Business, Innovation and Skills's handling of my FOI request 'Post Office Ltd In the interest of transparency openness and accountability'.

You made a statement and I quote "The Government is committed to
act as a responsible owner of Post Office Ltd" (SECURING THE POST
OFFICE. NETWORK IN THE DIGITAL AGE. NOVEMBER 2010).

Would it be fair to say your commitment falls short if you are not
aware of the salaries paid to your top directors, especially as
previously stated the salaries are substantilly more than the Prime
Minster.

In the interest of fairness would it not be possible for you to ask
your employees to release the information that I have requested.

Would you agree salary scales should be published as a matter of
routine, the more senior staff who are responsible for major policy
and financial initiatives should expect greater scrutiny of their
pay. I would be more than willing to accept the salary details
requested to be narrowed down to the nearest £5000.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/po...

Yours faithfully,

Pat Aspinall

FOI Requests, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

BIS ref: IR/13/0531
Dear Pat Aspinall
Thank you for your request for an internal review which was received on
07/05/2013. Your request has been passed on to the appropriate official at
the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to deal with.

In line with the Information Commissioner's guidance, internal reviews
should be responded to within 20 working days unless they are complex, in
which case a response should be sent within 40 working days. Please be
aware that this does not include weekends and bank holidays. The
Department aims to respond to requests for internal reviews as quickly as
possible.  We hope to be in contact with you again shortly with a decision
on your request.  

If you have any queries about this email, please contact the information
rights unit at BIS. Please remember to quote the reference number above in
any future communications.

Kind regards,
Information Rights Unit

Security and Information Rights Unit | Department for Business, Innovation
& Skills  | Victoria 3, 5th Floor, 1 Victoria Street, London, SW1H OET|
[1]www.bis.gov.uk

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is making a
difference by supporting sustained growth and higher skills across the
economy. BIS: working together for growth

show quoted sections

FOI Requests, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Dear Ms Aspinall,
 

Thank you for your email of 25 April regarding disclosure of the pay of
senior employees of Post Office Ltd.   In your email you asked the
following questions:

 

You made a statement and I quote "The Government is committed to act as a
responsible owner of Post Office Ltd" (SECURING THE POST OFFICE. NETWORK
IN THE DIGITAL AGE. NOVEMBER 2010).

Would it be fair to say your commitment falls short if you are not aware
of the salaries paid to your top directors, especially as previously
stated the salaries are substantially more than the Prime Minister?

In the interest of fairness would it not be possible for you to ask your
employees to release the information that I have requested?

Would you agree salary scales should be published as a matter of routine,
the more senior staff who are responsible for major policy and financial
initiatives should expect greater scrutiny of their pay? I would be more
than willing to accept the salary details requested to be narrowed down to
the nearest £5000.

 

Your email does not contain a request for recorded information held by the
Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS). Where a 'request for
information' does not contain a specific request for copies of information
held by BIS, we deal with such requests as a 'normal course of business'
enquiry rather than a formal request for information under the FOIA or
EIR. This is in accordance with the guidance given in the ICO publication
'Freedom of Information & Environmental Information Regulations Hints
for Practitioners handling FOI/EIR requests', which states on page 6
"Requests which are not for recorded information, but instead ask
questions, such as "please explain your policy on x" or "please explain
your decision to do y" are not requests for recorded information and
therefore should be treated as routine correspondence.". This publication
is available on the ICO website, and can be accessed via the following
link:  

[1]http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/l...

 

I am writing to advise that In March 2001, under provisions of the Postal
Services Act 2000 introduced by the previous Government, the property,
rights and business of the previous statutory Post Office Corporation were
transferred to a new plc company (Royal Mail Holdings plc) governed by
Companies Act law, in line with Government policy to give the business
greater commercial freedom.  This transfer included the post office
network operating subsidiary, Post Office Limited.  From that point on
Royal Mail Holdings plc and its subsidiaries have operated at arm's length
from Government, whose relationship with the group of companies is that of
a commercial shareholder in RMH plc.

 

Consequently, whilst monitoring Post Office Ltd s financial performance
and approving the remuneration of the members of the Post Office Ltd Board
(to whom, as previously advised, the remuneration reporting provisions
apply) we rightly do not have any role in operational matters such as
determining staff pay.  It is important to be clear that the directors and
other staff of Post Office Ltd are not government employees and we
therefore have no locus to request that the company or its senior
management to disclose personal information relating to their pay or pay
scales. 

 

Any question of publishing salary scales for senior staff as a matter of
routine is a matter for the company to consider.

 

Finally, any suggestions that the salaries of senior managers at Post
Office Ltd as specified in your email of 18 April are substantially more
than the Prime Minister are wholly speculative.

 

Yours sincerely

 Royal Mail and Post Office Network Team

show quoted sections

Dear FOI Requests,

Thank you for your response.

Would it be fair to say the Special Shareholder is entitled to request information in relation to the affairs of Post Office Ltd as he may consider necessary or desirable.

The Special Shareholder is also entitled from time to time to appoint and remove any person as Chairman of the company by notice in writing delivered to the company and signed on behalf of the Special Shareholder.

The Special Shareholder is entitled from time to time to appoint and to remove any person as a director of the company by notice in writing delivered to the company and signed on behalf of the Special Shareholder. The Chairman is required to consult with and obtain the approval of the Special Shareholder in relation to the appointment and the removal of any person as a director. Is Vince Cable the Special Shareholder? If so perhaps he could pass on the guidance given by the Information Commissioner's Office to Post Office Ltd.

Quote,

"Salary scales should usually be published as a matter of routine."

"More senior staff who are responsible for major policy and financial initiatives can expect greater scrutiny of their pay than more junior employees."

In your reply you stated "any suggestions that the salaries of senior managers at Post Office Ltd as specified in your email of 18 April are substantially more
than the Prime Minister are wholly speculative."

It was senior Directors salaries I asked about.

Would I be correct to state Alice Perkins the Chairman of the company is paid a salary of £100, 000 per annum for a two day week.

Paulla Vennells the CEO of the Company was paid a total of £463,000 2011/2012 and long term incentive bonus to come.

Please find below the six Directors salaries that I asked you for, they are not "wholly speculative".

A. £109,008.96. B. £133,918.32. C. £147,700.08. D. £168,238.92. E. £177,700.08. F. £194,635.08.

I am sorry to labour the point of Directors salaries but if you are not aware how tax payers money is being spent, I don't suppose there is much you can do.

Are you aware that Sub Postmasters are facing a desperate time as tweeted by the General Secretary of the NFSP George Thomson below.

Could Ms Swinson or the Special Shareholder not intervene and tackle Post Office Ltd, before they destroy this precious network and bring the poor Sub Postmaster down to his knees.

Quotes.
"Subpostmasters are hard working, self employed business people they deserve better than they the way they are being treated by PostOffice"

"Post Office only ever had a chance of being a separate company outside Royal Mail if Government delivered on its promises,it hasn't !!"

"Coalition government now in power for 3 years have delivered absolutely no new work for Post Offices,time to deliver or all bets are off"

"Subpostmasters should be the most important people in PostOffice, but instead their financial situation & their investments are treated badly"

"Two decisions by Post Office in the last week have taken £5 million from the pockets of subpostmasters,are they trying to starve our Network"

"CTP reduced by £2.7 million per year, Mail Segregation £2.2 million per year = £4.9 million in total taken from subpostmasters = wrong"

"Many subpostmasters forced to carry out Mail Segregation in smaller premises in a manner which could be against H&S!! "

Yours sincerely,

Pat Aspinall

Dear FOI Requests,

Could I also ask Ms Swinson or Mr Cable to comment on the recent press release from the NFSP.

NFSP general secretary George Thomson said: “There is now little doubt that the government’s promise of no more planned closures was hollow, and that the failure to make full use of the network will lead to mass closures through the back door.

Yours sincerely,

Pat Aspinall

Dear FOI Requests,

Would it be possible for you to answer my additional questions, or at the very least acknowledge them.

Yours sincerely,

Pat Aspinall

Dear FOI Requests,

Just to add Is the Special Share holder also aware that Sub Postmasters are taking industrial action for the first time in over 100 years. Please find very recent quote from George Thomson General Secretary NFSP.

“The NFSP is and always has been a moderate, reasonable organisation representing self-employed business people.

“We have always sought to resolve difficulties through constructive dialogue, but are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain this approach when POL are not prepared to listen.

“I never imagined we would find ourselves in a situation where any form of action would be necessary.

“But these latest cuts and POL’s ongoing disregard for the wellbeing of subpostmasters and our network have left us with no alternative. By standing together, we can hit POL where it hurts, and make them wake up to the fact that subpostmasters can’t take any more pain.

“We won’t tolerate being the easy option for cuts, while POL’s central costs continue to grow and POL managers’ bonuses become ever fatter.”

Yours sincerely,

Pat Aspinall

FOI Requests, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

1 Attachment

Dear Ms Aspinall

Please see the attached letter regarding your internal review request.

Yours sincerely,
Information Rights Unit

Security and Information Rights Unit | Department for Business, Innovation
& Skills  | Victoria 3, 5th Floor, 1 Victoria Street, London, SW1H OET|
[1]www.bis.gov.uk

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is making a
difference by supporting sustained growth and higher skills across the
economy. BIS: working together for growth

show quoted sections

Dear FOI Requests,

Thank you for your response. The Special Shareholder (Vince Cable) is entitled to request information in relation to the affairs of Post Office Ltd as he may consider necessary or desirable as stated in the new Articles of Association of Post Office Limited (below).

I can only assume from your answer that Mr Cable considers it neither necessary nor desirable to learn that over half of the Directors mentioned in my request earn substantially more than the Prime Minister.

http://www.postoffice.co.uk/sites/defaul...

Yours sincerely,

Pat Aspinall

FOI Requests, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Dear Ms Aspinall,

 

Thank you for your email of 13 May 2013 regarding a recent NFSP press
release from the NFSP.  In your email you asked the following question:

 

“Could I also ask Ms Swinson or Mr Cable to comment on the recent press
release from the NFSP?

    

NFSP general secretary George Thomson said: “There is now little doubt
that the government’s promise of no more planned closures was hollow, and
that the failure to make full use of the network will lead to mass
closures through the back door.”

 

Your email does not contain a request for recorded information held by the
Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS). Where a 'request for
information' does not contain a specific request for copies of information
held by BIS, we deal with such requests as a 'normal course of business'
enquiry rather than a formal request for information under the FOIA or
EIR. This is in accordance with the guidance given in the ICO publication
'Freedom of Information & Environmental Information Regulations – Hints
for Practitioners handling FOI/EIR requests', which states on page 6
"Requests which are not for recorded information, but instead ask
questions, such as "please explain your policy on x" or "please explain
your decision to do y" are not requests for recorded information and
therefore should be treated as routine correspondence."  This publication
is available on the ICO website, and can be accessed via the following
link:
[1]http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/l...

 

I am writing to advise that the Department’s November 2010 Strategy
Document ‘Securing the Post Office Network for the Digital Age’ made clear
that Government fully recognised the social purpose of the network and the
valuable social and economic role played by post offices in the
communities they serve. Furthermore, in 2010 Spending Review, the
Government made clear its commitment to modernising the post office
network and safeguarding its future by allocating funding of £1.34 bn to
2015 to provide significant investment and support. This provides for the
Network and Crown Transformation programmes and investment and support
more widely across the post office network.  Post Office Ltd (POL) is also
required to maintain a national network of at least 11,500 branches and to
comply fully with the access criteria, set by Government in 2007, with no
programme of closures. 

 

Over the last two financial years, network size has been at its most
stable level for 25 years.

    

Yours sincerely

  

Royal Mail and Post Office Network Team

show quoted sections

FOI Requests, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Dear Ms Aspinall,

 

Thank you for your email of 18 May 2013 regarding recent quotes from
George Thomson, General Secretary of the NFSP.   In your email you asked
the following question:

 

“Just to add Is the Special Share holder also aware that Sub Postmasters
are taking industrial action for the first time in over 100 years. Please
find very recent quote from George Thomson General Secretary NFSP.

    

“The NFSP is and always has been a moderate, reasonable organisation
representing self-employed business people.

    

“We have always sought to resolve difficulties through constructive
dialogue, but are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain this
approach when POL are not prepared to listen.

    

“I never imagined we would find ourselves in a situation where any form of
action would be necessary.

    

“But these latest cuts and POL’s ongoing disregard for the wellbeing of
subpostmasters and our network have left us with no alternative. By
standing together, we can hit POL where it hurts, and make them wake up to
the fact that subpostmasters can’t take any more pain.

    

“We won’t tolerate being the easy option for cuts, while POL’s central
costs continue to grow and POL managers’ bonuses become ever fatter.”

 

Your email does not contain a request for recorded information held by the
Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS). Where a 'request for
information' does not contain a specific request for copies of information
held by BIS, we deal with such requests as a 'normal course of business'
enquiry rather than a formal request for information under the FOIA or
EIR. This is in accordance with the guidance given in the ICO publication
'Freedom of Information & Environmental Information Regulations – Hints
for Practitioners handling FOI/EIR requests', which states on page 6
"Requests which are not for recorded information, but instead ask
questions, such as "please explain your policy on x" or "please explain
your decision to do y" are not requests for recorded information and
therefore should be treated as routine correspondence."  This publication
is available on the ICO website, and can be accessed via the following
link:

[1]http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/l...

 

I am writing to advise that the Government/Special Shareholder is aware of
the quotes referred to in your email.

 

The Government/Special Shareholder is also aware of continuing discussions
between Post Office Ltd and the NFSP over a range of related issues
including mails segregation arrangements with subpostmasters  

    

Yours sincerely

 

Royal Mail and Post Office Network Team

show quoted sections

FOI Requests, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Dear Ms Aspinall,

 

Thank you for your email of 10 May 2013 regarding the role of the Special
Shareholder in Post Office Ltd.   In your email you asked the following
questions:

 

“Would it be fair to say the Special Shareholder is entitled to request
information in relation to the affairs of Post Office Ltd as he may
consider necessary or desirable.

    

The Special Shareholder is also entitled from time to time to appoint and
remove any person as Chairman of the company by notice in writing
delivered to the company and signed on behalf of the Special Shareholder.

    

The Special Shareholder is entitled from time to time to appoint and to
remove any person as a director of the company by notice in writing
delivered to the company and signed on behalf of the Special Shareholder.
The Chairman is required to consult with and obtain the approval of the
Special Shareholder in relation to the appointment and the removal of any
person as a director. Is Vince Cable the Special Shareholder? If so
perhaps he could pass on the guidance given by the Information
Commissioner's Office to Post Office Ltd.

    

Quote,

    

"Salary scales should usually be published as a matter of routine."

    

"More senior staff who are responsible for major policy and financial
initiatives can expect greater scrutiny of their pay than more junior
employees."

    

In your reply you stated "any suggestions that the salaries of senior
managers at Post Office Ltd as specified in your email of 18 April are
substantially more

than the Prime Minister are wholly speculative."

    

It was senior Directors salaries I asked about.

    

Would I be correct to state Alice Perkins the Chairman of the company is
paid a salary of £100, 000 per annum for a two day week?

    

Paula Vennells the CEO of the Company was paid a total of £463,000
2011/2012 and long term incentive bonus to come.

    

Please find below the six Directors salaries that I asked you for, they
are not "wholly speculative".

    

 A. £109,008.96. B. £133,918.32. C. £147,700.08. D. £168,238.92. E.
£177,700.08. F. £194,635.08.

    

I am sorry to labour the point of Directors salaries but if you are not
aware how taxpayers’ money is being spent, I don't suppose there is much
you can do.

    

Are you aware that Sub Postmasters are facing a desperate time as tweeted
by the General Secretary of the NFSP George Thomson below:

    

Could Ms Swinson or the Special Shareholder not intervene and tackle Post
Office Ltd, before they destroy this precious network and bring the poor
Sub Postmaster down to his knees.

    

Quotes.

"Subpostmasters are hard working, self employed business people they
deserve better than they the way they are being treated by Post Office"

    

Post Office only ever had a chance of being a separate company outside
Royal Mail if Government delivered on its promises, it hasn't!!"

    

"Coalition government now in power for 3 years have delivered absolutely
no new work for Post Offices, time to deliver or all bets are off"

    

"Subpostmasters should be the most important people in Post Office, but
instead their financial situation & their investments are treated badly"

    

"Two decisions by Post Office in the last week have taken £5 million from
the pockets of subpostmasters, are they trying to starve our Network?"

    

 "CTP reduced by £2.7 million per year, Mail Segregation £2.2 million per
year = £4.9 million in total taken from subpostmasters = wrong"

    

"Many subpostmasters forced to carry out Mail Segregation in smaller
premises in a manner which could be against H&S!!"

 

Your email does not contain a request for recorded information held by the
Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS). Where a 'request for
information' does not contain a specific request for copies of information
held by BIS, we deal with such requests as a 'normal course of business'
enquiry rather than a formal request for information under the FOIA or
EIR. This is in accordance with the guidance given in the ICO publication
'Freedom of Information & Environmental Information Regulations – Hints
for Practitioners handling FOI/EIR requests', which states on page 6
"Requests which are not for recorded information, but instead ask
questions, such as "please explain your policy on x" or "please explain
your decision to do y" are not requests for recorded information and
therefore should be treated as routine correspondence.". This publication
is available on the ICO website, and can be accessed via the following
link:

 

[1]http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/l...

 

I am writing to advise that the Secretary of State as Special Shareholder
is entitled to request information in relation to the affairs of Post
Office Ltd as he may consider necessary or desirable and is also entitled
from time to time to appoint and remove any person as Chairman of the
company by notice in writing delivered to the company and signed on behalf
of the Special Shareholder.

 

The Special Shareholder is also entitled from time to time to appoint and
to remove any person as a director of the company by notice in writing
delivered to the company and signed on behalf of the Special Shareholder.
The Chairman is required to consult with and obtain the approval of the
Special Shareholder in relation to the appointment and the removal of any
person as a director.

 

I can further advise that while the Chief Executive and Finance Director
are members of the Post Office Ltd Board, others of the senior managers at
Post Office Ltd referred to in your emails, some of whom have ‘Director’
as part of their job title, are not directors in the sense of being
members of the Company’s Board to whom the Special Shareholder provisions
noted above apply.

 

It is for the management of Post Office Ltd to consider how to respond to
any guidance received from the Information Commissioner's Office.

 

Details of the remuneration of the Chairman and other members of the Board
of Post Office Ltd will be published in the company’s annual report and
accounts, alongside details of its wider pay policies.  You are correct
that Alice Perkins is paid £100,000 per annum in her role as Chairman of
Post Office Ltd.

 

In the 2010 Spending Review, the Government made clear that it was fully
committed to modernising the post office network and safeguarding its
future and allocated a funding package of £1.34 bn to 2015 to provide for
significant investment.  This provides for the Network and Crown
Transformation programmes and investment more widely across the post
office network.  The funding package also requires Post Office Ltd (POL)
to continue to maintain a network of at least 11,500 branches and to
comply fully with the access criteria, set by Government in 2007, with no
programme of closures. 

 

The Government plays no role in the negotiations between Post Office Ltd
and the National Federation of Subpostmasters on subpostmasters’
remuneration.

    

Yours sincerely

 

Royal Mail and Post Office Network Team

show quoted sections

Dear FOI Requests,

Once again thank you for you reply, is Alice Perkins still working a two day week for a £100,000 per annum salary?

Some of the Directors I have mentioned not only earn substantially more than some of the Directors on the board, they earn substantially more than the Prime Minister, if the Special Shareholder chooses not to look into this I shall leave it at that.

May I also add as far as I am aware Post Office Ltd do not recognise the Trade Union The National Federation of Subpostmasters for negotiations on behalf of all Postmasters, yet they pay this Trade Union vast amounts of taxpayers money. Is the Special Shareholder aware of this?

Would it be possible for the Special Shareholder to find any agreements that I could have sight of, as to why Post Office Ltd are paying this Trade Union.

Yours sincerely,

Pat Aspinall

FOI Requests, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

BIS ref: 13/0767

 
Dear Ms Aspinall

Thank you for your further request for information which was received on
12 June 2013. Your request has been passed on to the appropriate official
at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to deal with.

Your request is being dealt with under the terms of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 and will be responded at the latest by 10 July 2013.

If you have any queries about this email, please contact the information
rights unit at BIS. Please remember to quote the reference number above in
any future communications.

Kind regards,
Information Rights Unit

Security and Information Rights Unit | Department for Business, Innovation
& Skills  | Victoria 3, 5th Floor, 1 Victoria Street, London, SW1H OET|
[1]www.bis.gov.uk

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is making a
difference by supporting sustained growth and higher skills across the
economy. BIS: working together for growth

show quoted sections

Dear FOI Requests,

Just to be clear before I take my complaint to the ICO please find a list of the Directors/Leaders taken from Post Office Ltd website of which you are the owner. Your repetition of arms length nowt to do with us guv is just not good enough, the Secretary of State Vince Cable as Special Shareholder is entitled to request information in relation to the affairs of Post Office Ltd as he may consider necessary or desirable. The Directors/Leaders salaries I seek are the leadership of Post Office Ltd your Company. Perhaps the IC can settle this secrecy once and for all, it is public funding that pays your leaderships salaries at Post Office Ltd.

Post Office Leadership

Sue Barton - Strategy Director.
Barton joined the Executive Committee of the Post Office as Strategy Director in September 2012. Her experience includes extensive time within postal consultancy, at Accenture and PA Consulting where she has worked with many of the leading international postal organisations providing support and advice across a broad spectrum of areas. These include strategy development, improving quality of service, conducting operational reviews, developing new organisational models, commercial renegotiation and structuring of commercial arrangements, as well as expertise in technology innovation and competition in both the UK and Europe.

Susan Crichton – HR and Corporate Services Director.
Susan joined Post Office Ltd in January 2010 as Legal and Compliance Director which in turn changed to Lead Counsel. On the 29 of August 2012 Susan’s role developed to her current HR and Corporate Services Director position. Prior to this, she spent eight years with GE Money as General Counsel, EMEA, responsible for Legal Compliance & Government Relations. Susan has worked for 20 years in-house, as Legal Company Secretary, with significant experience in Risk and Compliance.

Mark Davies - Communications Director.
Mark joined Post Office Ltd as Communications Director in July 2012 after two years as Communications and Campaigns Director for the charity Rethink Mental Illness. Prior to that he spent five years as Special Adviser to the Rt Hon Jack Straw MP, working in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the House of Commons and the Ministry of Justice. He worked as Special Adviser to Baroness Amos, then Leader of the House of Lords, for 18 months in 2004-05. Mark began his career in journalism in 1990 and during 13 years as a reporter, writer and editor he worked for the Liverpool Echo, the Liverpool Daily Post, CNN and the BBC.

Kevin Gilliland – Network & Sales Director.
Kevin joined Post Office Ltd over 30 years ago as a counter clerk and has gained significant experience in Sales and Account Management. Kevin also managed major partners of Post Office Ltd, including government departments and banks during the development of the initial Card Account and universal banking. More recently, Kevin had been leading the work on developing the Network Strategy and Operating Models.

Lesley Sewell – Chief Information Officer
Lesley joined Post Office Ltd in April 2010 from Northern Rock where she had been Managing Director for IT since 2005. She has held a number of IT leadership positions delivering large business and IT Transformational change, and supporting major business restructures. For Post Office, she is responsible for the development and delivery of the IT Strategy in support of the business transformation plans, delivering a transformed IT estate and operating model.

Alwen Lyons - Company Secretary.
Alwen Lyons joined the Post Office in 1984 as a graduate entrant and has worked at a senior level in several parts of the business including network, finance and marketing. Alwen spent eight and a half years as a Royal Mail Pension Trustee and was also the Chairman of the Pension Audit Committee. She is a qualified accountant and became the Company Secretary in July 2011, after leading the project to separate Post Office Limited from Royal Mail Group.

Yours sincerely,

Pat Aspinall

FOI Requests, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

1 Attachment

Dear Ms Aspinall,

Please see the attached letter regarding your information request.

Yours sincerely

Information Rights Unit
Security and Information Rights Unit | Department for Business, Innovation
& Skills  | Victoria 3, 5th Floor, 1 Victoria Street, London, SW1H OET|
[1]www.bis.gov.uk

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is making a
difference by supporting sustained growth and higher skills across the
economy. BIS: working together for growth

<<FOI 13 0767 Reply.pdf>>

---------
Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or
recorded for legal purposes
----------

References

Visible links
1. http://www.bis.gov.uk/

Dear FOI Requests,

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

Pat Aspinall