§ 10. Mr. P. Browneasked the Postmaster-General if he will examine the possibility of introducing mobile post offices to serve the remoter rural areas where full-time offices have had to be withdrawn.
§ The Assistant Postmaster-General (Miss Mervyn Pike)I have looked carefully into my hon. Friend's suggestion; but I am afraid mobile post offices would be a very uneconomic way of giving counter services in these areas. The rural postman on his rounds sells postage and savings stamps; he also buys postal orders for customers on request, and accepts telegrams and unregistered and registered letters and parcels for despatch, and I think this provides a reasonable alternative.
§ Mr. BrowneMay I make it clear to my hon. Friend that I am not suggesting that this should be an alternative for existing posit offices, but is she aware that in scattered districts where post offices have been closed there is considerable hardship and inconvenience caused, particularly to the elderly who wish to draw their pensions, and so on? May I suggest that it is time that the Government ceased to chip away at all our rural services as they seem to be doing at the moment?
§ Miss PikeI accept the difficulties of rural areas because I live in one myself, but I do not accept that we chip away at rural services. I believe that we give as good and as economic a service as possible. I said in my Answer that the rural postman serves as a good friend to people in these areas.