Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Bill [HL]

Here we move to Postwatch. Many of the arguments are similar to those regarding Energywatch, so I will not rehearse the generality of those. I will just say that the need for sectoral expertise is just the same, and we are worried about expertise being lost in the move. As the noble Baroness, Lady O’Cathain, said, are those staff with particular expertise, drive and enthusiasm going to make the change? The postal sector is in as much of a state of flux as the energy sector; perhaps even more so, in the sense that some of what is happening is so much within the Government’s remit, as they decide through whom services should be available. My noble friend Lady Thomas of Winchester will speak about post offices in rural areas, so I will not dwell on that issue. I shall simply say that, coming from a rural area, I am reminded weekly—I am not there every day—how much people in such areas rely on those services. The postal sector is experiencing new operators and service providers coming into the market. Royal Mail is assessing many of its products and services and the changes have seen the introduction of pricing in proportion, for example, and the greater use of automation systems. Such changes mean that consumers need to understand what is happening. With the changes in post office closure times and so forth, they need a strong body to ensure that the information on their effect on consumers is gathered effectively and is then used to inform policy changes. It is also important to remember that the postal sector deals not only with domestic consumers; there are also business consumers. They too have strong concerns and it would be useful if the Minister could comment on the way in which the new body will relate to the regional agenda. As yet, we have talked mostly in national terms but the pressures in metropolitan and rural areas are different. In the south-west, compared with the south-east, regional bodies will collect different, critical information. I hope that the clause-stand-part debate will enable other Members of the Committee to say how they feel on this issue, and in particular enable the Government to make clear their stand on it.