§ 59. Mr. BOTTOMLEYasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that the cost of the postal, telegraph, and telephone services of the various Government Departments for the year 1920–21 amounted to upwards of £3,000,000, irrespective of the sum of £11,700 for the recently-established Mines Department; and whether he will state how much of this sum represented new instalments?
§ Mr. PEASEThe estimated cost of the services rendered to Government Departments by the Post Office in 1920–21 approaches £5,000,000, but shows a reduction of nearly £2,500,000 on the cost for 1919–20. In spite of this large reduction in the aggregate, it is probable that in some Departments there has been an increase, but it is not possible, without undue labour, to give the figures at present.
It should be understood that these figures include not only the charges for letters, telegrams and telephones, but also the cost (a) of payment of Old Age Pensions and War Pensions, (b) of sale of licences, insurance, inland revenue and other stamps, and (c) of dealing with War Loans and National Savings Certificates. These latter items account for two-fifths of the total cost.
The sum quoted for the Mines Department is not additional as that Department was constituted from existing Departments of the Board of Trade and Home Office.