§ 2.50 p.m.
LORD WINDLESHAMMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps the Postmaster-General proposes to take to solve the serious problem of the delays to commercial and professional mail during the month of December caused by the ever-increasing volume of Christmas cards in the post.]
§ THE JOINT PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT (LORD CHESHAM)My Lords, while some delays at Christmas time are unavoidable, my right honourable friend the Postmaster-General has no evidence to suggest that delays to commercial and 698 professional mail amount to a serious problem. The great majority of people, I think, cheerfully accept the position because they know the immense additional burden the Post Office carries on our behalf at Christmas time. The idea of keeping Christmas cards entirely separate from other mail has been examined, but, the Post Office is satisfied it would not work. Where it can be done, some priority is given to fully-paid business mail, and this will continue in future years. If the noble Lord has any particular case of difficulty in mind and would let me have details, I am sure my right honourable friend would be very glad to have inquiries made.
LORD WINDLESHAMMy Lords, while thanking the noble Lord for his reply, I should like to ask him a supplementary question to this effect. Does he think it is fair that small enterprises, both commercial and industrial, to say nothing of professional men such as solicitors and doctors, around Christmas time and particularly before, should have to resort to sending telegrams in order to get replies to important questions because they cannot trust the mail? Does he think that the extra expense which devolves on those people is fair to those who are not in a position to afford it, and would he bring that point to the notice of his right honourable friend in the event of its unfortunately having escaped him up till now?
§ LORD CHESHAMMy Lords, I would certainly be pleased to bring that point to the attention of my right honourable friend, but I would say that in the normal way any business mail would be very unfortunate if it were delayed for more than a day or two at the most.
LORD SALTOUNMy Lords, will the noble Lord extend his generous offer made to the noble Lord, Lord Windlesham, to look into any particular cases, to other members of your Lordships' House?
§ LORD CHESHAMMost certainly.
LORD WINDLESHAMMy Lords, I think that this matter is being treated with not quite the seriousness it deserves. This is a matter which is very important to many people. I am not talking about people who write letters to their friends. They know perfectly well that at 699 Christmas time there is going to be delay. I am talking of people trying to make their living, and I ask the noble Lord whether he will not suggest to his right honourable friend that the problem of segregating Christmas cards from the remainder of the mail, or attempting to do so, is by no means insoluble. The point is that he has never applied his mind to it, and I am asking the noble Lord to ask his right honourable friend to do so.
§ LORD CHESHAMMy Lords, I will indeed, but it is not true to say that no mind has been applied to this business of segregation of mail. I would point out to the noble Lord that the normal 27 million letters a day goes up to something like 100 million at Christmas time. We employ 150,000 extra staff. We hire a lot of halls and a lot of vans to handle this mail as far as possible in the interests of the general public, and to try to move two streams of correspondence in those circumstances would, I think, be impossible, very expensive and an insupportable burden to the regular staff.
§ THE EARL OF IDDESLEIGHMy Lords, will the Postmaster General consider making an allowance which will cover the use of a motor car for rural postmen, who are normally dependent upon bicycles, during the month of December?
§ LORD CHESHAMMy Lords, I can ask him to do so.