§ MR. FIELD (Dublin, St. Patrick)To ask the Postmaster-General whether he will arrange that the stationery and supplies generally, including clothing, for the Post Office work and officials in Ireland shall be of Irish material; that a receiving depçt and controller be arranged in Dublin; and that the audit and postal order business shall be transacted in Dublin.
(Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) Stationery is supplied to the Post Office by the Stationery Office, over which I have no control. Cloth is obtained for the Post Office by the Army Council, who inform me that they cannot arrange to receive and test it in Ireland. I have a responsible officer in charge of the Post Office store depçt in Dublin, and all stores that can, without disadvantage to the public service, be received there are so received. Assuming the hon. Member to mean by "audit" the operations of any officers of the Post Office, the answer is that there is already an accountant's office in Dublin. The decentralisation of postal order business is a matter which will be considered 1757 in connection with other proposals for Post Office decentralisation.