§ 2.38 p.m.
§ THE EARL OF LUCANMy Lords, I beg to ask Her Majesty's Government the Question of which I have given private notice—namely, whether their attention has been drawn to a recent statement by the President of the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters that sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses displaced by the recent floods were dismissed without notice.
§ THE POSTMASTER GENERAL (EARL DE LA WARR)My Lords, I have seen the statement referred to by the noble Earl, and I can assure him that no sub-postmaster or sub-postmistress has been dismissed as a result of the recent floods, nor have any of those affected suffered any net loss of Post Office emoluments during the period of their enforced displacement. As soon as the matter was brought to the notice of higher authority, immediate steps were taken to arrange to apply to these flood cases the exceptional terms granted during the war for blitzed sub-offices, whereby net emoluments could be continued for three months, instead of for one month under the normal rules applying to offices temporarily closed. The House will, I think, be interested to know that, in fact, only one sub-postmaster is still prevented, owing to flood damage, from reoccupying his office. He is still receiving his net emoluments, and his case will, of course, be reconsidered if the period of three months runs out before he can resume duty.
§ THE EARL OF LUCANI thank the noble Earl for his reply. I am sure that your Lordships will all be glad to hear his explicit denials of the statement in question.
§ LORD SHEPHERDMay I ask a further question, purely with a view to obtaining information? I presume I am right in assuming that if there were any change of policy on the part of the Government in respect of this matter consultations would take place between the Government and organisations interested in these people before action was taken.
§ EARL DE LA WARRCertainly.