§ 7. Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications whether he will give a general direction to the Post Office to supply those employees who have given good service with written references when their employment terminates.
§ Sir J. EdenNo, Sir. I am told that the Post Office is willing to give written references.
§ Mr. JannerMay we have a firm assurance that no departments in the Post Office follow the rule that written references should not be given? If the right hon. Gentleman is unable to give such an assurance, will he undertake to conduct an inquiry into this matter? If it turns out that there are departments in which this rule applies, bearing in mind the great difficulty which people face in these difficult times in getting another job without a reference, will he see that such a disgraceful and scandalous situation is overruled?
§ Sir J. EdenThis is a matter of relationship between the employee and his employer—[HON. MEMBERS: "No."]—but I am informed by the Post Office that its local managers provide a reference when an employee or his prospective employer asks for one.