§ 16. Mr. Boyd-Carpenterasked the Postmaster-General how many registered letters have disappeared in circumstances which he is unable to explain since his appointment as Postmaster-General.
§ Mr. Ness EdwardsFigures in respect of registered letters lost this year are riot separately available. The number of inland registered letters lost last year was 7,135 out of a total handled of 116 million.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterBy that answer, does the right hon. Gentleman intend to confirm, or to deny, the charges against the staff of his own Department which he made according to column No. 709 in HANSARD on Thursday?
§ Mr. Ness EdwardsI think there is nothing in what I have said in my answer which denies what I said in my statement last Thursday except—and the hon. Gentleman must refer to this again—that the engineering union of which, apparently, he is the sponsor, sent out an instruction to its members not to co-operate in raising the efficiency of the Post Office to get rid of weaknesses in the Post Office.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterCan the right hon. Gentleman say what the union to which he referred has to do with the handling of registered mail?
§ Mr. Ness EdwardsI have already said that this particular union has nothing to do with it.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterOn a point of order. To obtain a clarification of the attitude of the right hon. Gentleman 1329 towards his own staff, I beg to give notice that I shall seek a convenient occasion to raise this matter again.