§ MR. JOYCE (Limerick)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether he is aware that delay and inconvenience are occasioned by the inadequacy of the arrangements at the Limerick Post Office, which is a distributing centre, affecting several surrounding counties, and that the enforcements of high averages has been found to be inoperative owing to the scarcity of expert operators at subordinate offices and the withdrawal of male officers for postal duties, and that such has been represented by responsible officials; and, seeing that reliefs cannot be obtained when necessary, and that supervising officers are forced to perform instrument duties, whether an inquiry will be made as to the delay which occurs in this office in making early provision for pressure of business.
I beg also to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether he is aware that females have been detained for periods up to thirty minutes beyond their official time without payment; and, in 160 view of the strain imposed upon the female staff in an unhealthy building, will he cause an inquiry to be made in this case.
§ MR. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAINThe Postmaster General has not the information necessary to enable him to reply in detail to the hon. Member's Questions; but he has ordered a personal inquiry to be made into the duties of the indoor staff at Limerick, both postal and telegraph, with a view to remedying any defects that may exist in the present arrangements and securing general efficiency in the performance of the service. In due course the hon. Member shall be made acquainted with the result of the inquiry.