§ 23. Mr. Swinglerasked the Postmaster-General when he will select the outside organisation to review the Post Office's methods of handling mail, as foreshadowed in paragraph 19 of the Report on Post Office Development and Finance, Command Paper No. 9756; and if he will now give an estimate of the cost involved.
Dr. HillMessrs. Harold Whitehead and Partners has been asked to undertake the assignment. The time required cannot be clearly assessed at this stage, but I estimate the probable cost at about 10,000.
§ Mr. SwinglerWill the Postmaster-General say why it is necessary to bring in this outside organisation to do this job? Is there not a very efficient organisation in the Government service called the Organisation and Methods Division which has done exactly this kind of job and done so on a much more economical scale? Why bring in an outside body?
Dr. HillThere are internal organisations in the Post Office and there is the O. and M. branch of the Treasury, as the hon. Gentleman suggests; but it seemed to me that it would be useful if there were a detailed scrutiny of some sample sorting offices by an external body, in order that we might be certain that our methods are the most efficient.