§ 68. Mr. HANNONasked the Postmaster-General whether under the agreement governing the parcel post service between Great Britain and France responsibility is accepted by the British authorities for loss or non-delivery of insured parcels in France once they have left this country; whether the British authorities have any means of obtaining prompt settlement of compensation by the French authorities when insured parcels are lost or returned undelivered through the fault of the French postal service; and whether, in the event of the French authorities refusing compensation, there is any protection for consignors in this country who have paid insurance fees?
§ Mr. KELLAWAYWhen a parcel for France, whether insured or not, has been duly transferred from the British to the French service and subsequently lost, it rests with the French Post Office to decide whether the loss occurred in circumstances which justify payment of compensation to the sender, and its decision is final. If in a particular case the French Post Office did not communicate the result of its inquiries within a year of its being informed of the loss, the British Post Office would then be justified in paying compensation at the expense of the French. The non-delivery of a parcel which is subsequently returned to the sender does not render the French Post Office liable for the payment of compensation, even if the delay indirectly causes financial loss to the sender or the addressee. The conditions under which compensation is paid in respect of insured postal packets are set out fully in the Post Office Guide.