HC Deb 22 January 1963 vol 670 cc7-8
7. Mr. H. Clark

asked the Postmaster-General what investigation he has made into the circumstances under which 300 tons of Christmas mail for Northern Ireland was mislaid by British Railways for several days at Heysham Harbour; and what were the results of his investigation.

Miss Pike

I am glad to be able to assure my hon. Friend that 300 tons of Christmas mail for Northern Ireland were not mislaid for several days at Heysham Harbour. Unfortunately some mail which should have been delivered before Christmas Day was held up en route and was not delivered until 27th December. Inquiries have failed to establish the precise cause of this delay, but my hon. Friend can be sure that we and the railways will do everything possible to avoid similar delays next Christmas.

Mr. Clark

I thank my hon. Friend for that reply. Is she aware that this sort of delay is typical of the parcel post to Northern Ireland throughout the year and causes considerable difficulty to our light industries in Northern Ireland?

Miss Pike

I can promise my hon. Friend that we are looking at this matter very carefully and that we have not been satisfied with the efficiency of the service to Northern Ireland and that we are having discussions with the railways to see how we can improve it.

8. Mr. H. Clark

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will consider employing some other organisation to carry parcels from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, in view of the standard of service given by British Railways.

Miss Pike

My right hon. Friend agrees that the standard of service is not all that it should be and we are working closely with the railways to bring about an improvement. A number of changes have recently been made and others are pending. I am sure this offers the best prospect of obtaining what we all want, namely, a better service than we have at present.

Mr. Clark

Does not my hon. Friend agree that the container services now operating by road and special ferry give a far quicker service to Northern Ireland than do British Railways? Will she seriously consider giving the parcel post contract to them in the near future?

Miss Pike

At this point I can only assure my hon. Friend that we are looking at the matter. However, I agree with him that some type of container service may hold out the best hope of an efficient service.