text_body: --- DIVISION TITLE ---
  
  Postal Services Bill - New Clause 2 - Minimum 10 Year Agreement With Post Office Limited Required before Royal Mail Sale
  
  --- MOTION EFFECT ---
  
  
  @ MP voted aye to require a ten year agreement between Royal Mail and Post Office Ltd relating to Royal Mail's use of the post office network prior to the sale of Royal Mail. 
  @ MP voted no against requiring a ten year agreement between Royal Mail and Post Office Ltd relating to Royal Mail's use of the post office network prior to the sale of Royal Mail. 
  
  The majority of MPs voted against requiring a ten year, or more, agreement between Post Office Limited and Royal Mail be put in place before the sale or transfer of Royal Mail or any other post office company.
  
  MPs were considering the Postal Services Bill[1]. The following proposed new clause was rejected in this division:
   
  :Prior to any sale or transfer of a post office company an agreement must be secured to guarantee the inter-business agreement between Post Office Limited and Royal Mail for a period of at least 10 years
  
  During the debate MP Bob Russell who proposed the new clause explained[2]:
  
  :The relationship between Royal Mail and Post Office Ltd is governed by the inter-business agreement, or IBA, which sets out in detail the commercial relationship between the two companies. Typically it will include the goods and services that Royal Mail offers exclusively-or not-through the post office network. 
  
  As this new clause adds a condition to the sale of Royal Mail, a vote in favour of it, is a vote against, albeit not strongly against, privatisation of Royal Mail. MPs who strongly wanted to privatise Royal Mail would not impose conditions. 
  
  ==
  
  * [1] [http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2010-12/postalservices.html Parliament's webpage on the Postal Services Bill (now the Postal Services Act)]
  * [2] [http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2011-01-12a.293.2#g298.4 Bob Russell MP, (Colchester, Liberal Democrat), House of Commons, 12 January 2011]
  
  --- COMMENTS AND NOTES ---
  
  (put thoughts and notes for other researchers here)
  