97.Section 66 prohibits the Treasury and the Secretary of State (or any nominee) disposing of shares or share rights in the Post Office company (or any relevant subsidiary) other than to each other, as permitted by subsection (3). However, the prohibition does not apply if the prior approval of Parliament has been obtained in accordance with section 67. This follows the policy, set out in the Government’s White Paper (Post Office Reform, cmnd 4340), that after transformation to a Companies Act company, the Post Office company would remain Government-owned and shares would only be exchanged or sold in order to cement commercial strategic alliances.
98.Subsection (2) prohibits the Post Office company or any of its subsidiaries (or their nominees) disposing of shares or share rights in any relevant subsidiary (as defined in section 63), though subsection (4) permits their disposal to the company or another subsidiary (or their nominees). Again, in accordance with subsection (5), the prohibition does not apply if Parliamentary approval has been obtained under the procedure in section 67.
Commentary on Sections Part IV Reorganisation of the Post Office Section 66: Restriction on disposals of shares to third parties