§ 60. Mr. BOWENasked the Postmaster-General what number of scale-payment sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses receive inclusive remuneration of £50 per annum or less; and what number receive more than £50 per annum but less than £100?
§ Mr. LEES-SMITHAccording to the latest available information the numbers are about 7,000 and 5,000 respectively.
§ 61. Mr. BOWENasked the Postmaster-General how many salaried offices have been reduced to scale-payment offices in the last five years; what are the reasons which led to such reductions; and whether, in view of the resulting increase in unestablished staff, he will endeavour to avoid such reductions?
§ Mr. LEES-SMITHThe number is 19. Such reductions are only carried out when salaried status is not warranted by volume of business. During the same period 11 scale-payment offices have been raised to salaried rank in the provinces, and a considerable number of scale-payment offices in London have been replaced by branch offices.
§ Mr. BOWENCan my hon. Friend assure the House that the Post Office will not continue the down-grading of these offices without due consideration for all the people concerned?
§ Mr. LEES-SMITHThere has been no down-grading. Naturally, as the population rises or falls in an area, some go up and some go down, but the amount of up-grading is equivalent to the amount of do wn-grading.
§ Mr. BOWENDoes my hon. Friend not realise that the reduction of salaried offices to scale-payment offices involves a considerable reduction to everyone concerned?
§ Mr. LEES-SMITHYes, but I was endeavouring to point out that the raising of scale-payment offices to salaried offices also involves an increase.