HC Deb 15 December 1965 vol 722 cc1238-9
7. Mr. Gower

asked the Postmaster-General to what causes he attributes the recent deterioration of postal services in England and Wales, respectively; to what extent staff shortages are to blame; and what proposals he has for improving these services.

Mr. Benn

My information does not confirm the suggestion that there has been a recent deterioration in the letter service though postal services generally in England and Wales alike are still affected by staff shortages in some of our main sorting offices. A big increase in parcel traffic in recent months, together with our staffing difficulties, have resulted in delay to some parcels on occasions. We are maintaining our drive for more staff, to enable us to provide the advertised services. In particular we shall continue to work with British Railways to see what more can be done to speed up the transit of parcel mails.

Mr. Gower

I sympathise with the Postmaster-General in regard to some of these difficulties, but is it not a fact that in some cases the service now given is much worse than it was 50 years ago? I do not blame him or his Government, but there has been a continuous deterioration. Will he do what he can to try to stem this unfortunate trend?

Mr. Benn

I am not able to deal in detail with a comparison with the situation 50 years ago, but it is true that many years ago, when labour was cheap, the pattern of postal services took extreme advantage of that fact. As for the hon. Member's local interest, I am happy to be able to tell him that the intensive recruitment campaign in May and June resulted in our filling most of our staff vacancies in Cardiff, and in Wales generally the situation is no longer serious.

Mr. Hooson

Is not the Postmaster-General aware that in Mid-Wales, certainly, where there is a centralisation of postal services, there has been an increasing delay in the delivery both of letters and parcels?

Mr. Benn

I appreciate the difficulties to which the hon. and learned Member refers, but as mechanisation develops in the postal services it is inevitable that we shall see a concentration of sorting into areas on a rather more centralised basis. This should not produce difficulties of the kind which the hon. and learned Gentleman has mentioned.