§ LORD PENTLANDMy Lords, I beg to ask his Majesty's Government whether for 359 the public convenience and in the interests of greater general intercourse the Government will consider favourably the restoration of the pre-war Sunday late-fee despatch of letters, etc., to countries of the Continent of Europe.
§ LORD MUIR MACKENZIEMy Lords, in reply to the Question which has been asked by the noble Lord, Lord Pent-land, I have received information from the Post Office which will enable me, I hope, to satisfy him. Before the war letters posted with a special fee at the larger post offices in London—which were about forty in number—were despatched on Sunday night to the Continent. There are now no Sunday night steamer services to Holland or Belgium and it is, therefore, impracticable to forward letters to some of the countries which were formerly accessible by these mails.
There are at the General Post Office at the present time special boxes provided in which letters for France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal and some other countries can be posted throughout the day on Sunday up to 6 p.m., on payment of a fee of 3d. in addition to the postage. Arrangements are also in existence at Victoria Station by which letters can be posted until twenty minutes past eight on Sunday evening. Correspondence posted under this arrangement is despatched via the night boat between Newhaven and Dieppe. Before the war the greater proportion of the letters despatched to the Continent on Sunday night were posted either at the General Post Office or at Victoria Station, and the forty post offices to which I have referred were not very largely used for the purpose. I am glad to be able to inform the noble Lord that the Postmaster-General is making arrangements so that similar facilities shall be given at certain of the more important London offices in future.
§ LORD PENTLANDI am very much obliged to the noble Lord for his reply.