HL Deb 11 May 1965 vol 266 cc6-8
LORD INGLEWOOD

My 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 whether they are aware of the continuing decline in the reliability of the postal services between London and North-West England, and what steps they propose to take to reverse this trend.]

LORD HOBSON

My Lords, my right honourable friend the Postmaster General very much regrets that in recent months the postal service between London and the North West of England has not been as reliable as it should be. This has been due in large measure to the late running of the trains which carry the key mails, and to shortages of staff at some of the main sorting centres. I can assure the noble Lord that everything practicable is being done by the Post Office, in collaboration with British Railways, to overcome these difficulties, to keep delays to a minimum and, generally, to provide a postal service which is both reliable and speedy.

LORD INGLEWOOD

My Lords, may I thank the noble Lord for that forthcoming reply, and say that he has told me a good deal more than his predecessors did when I put similar questions—because the problem is not one which has developed over a matter of months: it is a longer-standing one. Would not the noble Lord agree that it is unacceptable that on at least one day in the week letters posted at the correct time in London are not delivered in the Lake District the following day; and that parcels, on the average—and I have looked up the records—take the same time to get between London and the North-West as in the days of horse-drawn transport?

LORD HOBSON

My Lords, if I were in another place my answer would be "Yes, Sir". But I would point out that the tremendous amount of electrification which is taking place between London and Crewe obviously brings in its train engineering difficulties. Secondly, I should like to inform the noble Lord that the "Up Special" Post Office train running times are better, and there is now an improvement on the "Down Travelling Post Office" running times—that is, outgoing mail from London. We believe that there will be an improvement, and I can assure the noble Lord that everything I can do to improve the service will be done.

LORD INGLEWOOD

My Lords, whilst repeating my thanks to the noble Lord for his assurances, I would ask, would it not be a good idea that we should delay the 33⅓ per cent. increase in postal charges until he can assure us that the mail is going both ways satisfactorily to him. And, just to refresh our memories, could he say how this 33⅓ per cent. differs from the "guiding light" which I believe Mr. Brown told us that we should use to adjust our price changes?

LORD HOBSON

My Lords, these are entirely different questions and do not arise in this connection. I am sure that one of Her Majesty's Government's present advisers would be happy to answer if the noble Lord would put down a further Question.

BARONESS HORSBRUGH

My Lords, could the noble Lord say whether his first reply implied that the Post Office was less inefficient and less dynamic than the railways?

LORD HOBSON

My Lords, I think the record of the Post Office will bear comparison with that of any other Post Office in the whole world.

LORD REA

My Lords, in view of the phrasing of the original Question, might I ask whether the noble Lord proposes to substitute for the bad service between London and North-West England, a bad service between North-West England and London?

LORD HOBSON

My Lords, if the noble Lord had listened to my reply he would have discovered that I covered that point.