HC Deb 15 December 1966 vol 738 cc661-2
Q6. Mr. Bruce-Gardyne

asked the Prime Minister if he will appoint an extra Minister to the Treasury with specific responsibility for answering representations of honourable Members on behalf of their constituents.

The Prime Minister

No, Sir.

Mr. Bruce-Gardyne

Has the Prime Minister noted from the pile of correspondence which I have sent to him that some of my constituents, employees of the Post Office, feel themselves the victims of injustice arising from the Prices and Incomes Bill and that the Treasury has not been able to give any coherent answer to this complaint for two months? Ought not something to be done to speed up the means of dealing with complaints from constituents to the Treasury?

The Prime Minister

I am most grateful to the hon. Gentleman for sending me this detailed correspondence, which I read very carefully, and I note the way in which he has intervened on behalf of his constituents, many of whom are, I think, employed as Civil Service drawing office assistants and tracers.

While I think that his intervention with the Treasury, in addition to the nor- mal trade union negotiation which is usual in these matters, can only have been helpful, I regret that he has not had quicker answers from the Treasury. As has been explained to him, this has been partly associated with the fact, as he knows, that the Financial Secretary who has been dealing with this matter has been ill.