§ MR. HARMSWORTH (Caithnessshire)To ask the Postmaster-General if he can state the number of days on which the down night mail from London to the North of Scotland was late in arriving at Inverness since 30th September last; and to what extent the mail train was behind schedule time on each occasion.
45 (Answered by Lord Stanley.) The subjoined statement shows the lateness in the arrival of the down night mail train at Inverness on week days during the six months from October 1st to the 31st ultimo. I should, perhaps, state that almost every case of considerable delay was due either to unfavourable weather, to some accidental cause, or to the pressure of the Christmas traffic. Greater delay occurred on Sundays, but on that day the working of the mail train is dependent upon the running of a number of trains which are not in any way under my control.
§ Arrival of down night mail train at Inverness on week days during the six months ended March 31st, 1905—
| Punctual | 34 times. |
| Delay not more than 10 minutes | 81 times. |
| Delay more than 10, not more than 20 minutes | 19 times. |
| Delay more than 20, not more than 30 minutes | 10 times. |
| Delay more than 30, not more than 40 minutes | 9 times. |
| Delay more than 40 minutes | 3 times. |