§ 19. Mr. Dudley Smithasked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that letters posted to and from the Brentford area frequently take longer than twenty-four hours in transmission; and if he will inquire into the cause of such delays.
§ Miss PikeFrom time to time complaints have been received of delay to letters posted to and from the Brentford area. It has not always been possible to find out precisely the reason for the delay but there have been cases of missending to a wrong office. My inquiries do not suggest that the service generally in the Brentford area is inferior to that given elsewhere. I am looking into the specific examples which I received from my hon. Friend this morning.
§ Mr. SmithIn thanking my hon. Friend for that reply, may I ask her to consult the representatives of Brentford Chamber of Commerce, who have taken up this matter over a period of months, and may I also ask her whether there is any possibility of an improvement in the service as a whole?
§ 20. Mr. Dudley Smithasked the Postmaster-General when he will be in a position to open the new Brentford post office; and if he proposes to use it as a major sorting office for that area of Middlesex.
§ Miss PikeThe new office should be open by November at the latest. It will be used to handle correspondence and parcels for delivery in the Brentford area, but not for other areas.
§ Mr. SmithMay I ask my hon. Friend if she will reconsider this matter, because we feel that it is linked up very much with the question of the alleged delays in mails in the Brentford area?
§ Miss PikeCorrespondence for delivery in Brentford is received at Brentford in direct mails. On the other hand, correspondence posted in Brentford is taken to Hounslow for sorting and dispatch. This arrangement causes no 1202 delay in forwarding and I can assure my hon. Friend that it gives the greatest and the most efficient service at the present time.