§ 22. Mr. Shepherdasked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that the letter boxes now being fitted to some new doors at almost ground level cause postmen unnecessary fatigue; and whether he will take powers to give three months' notice of cessation of delivery unless provision is made for letter boxes with normal access.
§ Mr. MarplesI am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising this matter, in which I am very interested, but at this stage I would propose to proceed by persuasion. The British Standards Institution and the Council of Industrial Design are already co-operating with me on the question of positioning and design of letter boxes, and when I have their advice I intend to seek the co-operation of architects, local authorities, the building trades, and the public generally.
§ Mr. ShepherdWhile appreciating my right hon. Friend's desire to do this by persuasion, may I ask if he will make sure that, if persuasion fails, this lack of consideration will not be a burden on the Post Office service by adding to the cost of running a delivery service of letters?
§ Mr. MarplesI agree that some letter boxes now in existence cause the postmen great difficulty. For that reason I thought it best for the Post Office to design its own type of letter box and then send the details and drawings to architects.
§ Mr. ShepherdWill my right hon. Friend make certain that the new letter box looks nothing like the new postal order?
§ Mr. MarplesI will make sure to take my hon. Friend's advice on the design.