§ 11. Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications whether he will make a statement on the future of the National Data Processing Service.
§ Mr. ChatawayI have received from the Post Office its proposals for future investment in the service and I am considering them.
§ Mr. HuckfieldNo doubt the Minister is aware of the profit-making potential of the N.D.P.S. In view of that, will he tell the House something about possible hiving-off? Can he also say something about the future of modems and discreet data lines and something about the means by which he intends to preserve the confidentiality of the matter handled?
§ Mr. ChatawayThe hon. Member has raised a number of matters clearly outside the scope of the original Question. However, I can tell him that the service made a small loss last year, but that the Post Office believes that that is simply because of the time it takes for new projects to become profitable.
§ Mr. MawbyWould not my right hon. Friend agree that this is a service into which the Post Office ought not to have entered in the first place and that, although data transmission is a service which the Post Office could obviously do very well, it ought never to have under-taken data processing?
§ Mr. ChatawayAs my hon. Friend will know, there are a number of considerations here. At the moment, I am looking at the investment proposals which have been put to me by the Post Office Board and I will bear in mind the view of my hon. Friend.