HL Deb 16 December 1970 vol 313 cc1364-6

2.35 p.m.

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 what proportion of second-class mail posted in London on a Friday or a Saturday will be delivered by the first post the following Monday to addresses

  1. (a) in London;
  2. (b) elsewhere in England.]

LORD DENHAM

My Lords, these are management matters for the Post Office.

LORD INGLEWOOD

My Lords, may I ask the noble Lord whether he remembers some of the things that he said on this very subject in a debate in your Lordships' House on February 11, 1969, when he said that he did not consider them to be management subjects?

LORD DENHAM

My Lords, I remember speaking on that occasion.

LORD INGLEWOOD

My Lords, would the noble Lord like me on another occasion to remind him of some of those things—which were very pertinent to this Question?

LORD DENHAM

My Lords, the crux of the matter is that it is not the policy of Her Majesty's Government—and this means any Government—to take responsibility for, or to give information on, the day-to-day management of a public authority.

THE EARL OF DUNDEE

My Lords, while this question refers to England, may I ask whether my noble friend is aware that some letters posted on Friday or Saturday are not delivered in Scotland until the following Tuesday, and that this compares rather unfavourably with the days when letters were carried by horse transport?

LORD DENHAM

My Lords, I am aware that in a few unfortunate cases there are delays. But it is not usual to give information on subjects like this on a regional basis. Statistics on a national basis are of course available.

THE EARL OF MANSFIELD

My Lords, are Her Majesty's Government aware that this so-called management of the Post Office is in many respects highly unsatisfactory, inasmuch as first-class mail posted on any day of the week, either in Scotland or England, often takes from 48 hours to five days to reach its destination?

LORD FERRIER

My Lords, following the supplementary question by my noble friend Lord Dundee, is it not the fact that second-class mail posted on Friday night is not even sorted until after the weekend?

LORD DENHAM

My Lords, I should be surprised if that were the case.

LORD SLATER

My Lords, is the noble Lord aware that the Answer that he gave to his noble friend is the right and proper answer in accordance with the Act under which the new Corporation was set up to look after the Post Office; and that each noble Lord—or any Member of another place—could, if he so willed, find criticism against the two-tier system which was in existence in the Post Office for a very long time prior to the setting up of the new Corporation?

LORD DENHAM

My Lords, I am very grateful to the noble Lord. That is my understanding of the matter.

VISCOUNT TENBY

My Lords, does not the noble Lord agree that since the time of Rowland Hill in 1859, when the penny post was delivered the next day, the service has sadly deteriorated?

LORD DENHAM

My Lords, I have no evidence that the Post Office is failing in the duty laid upon it under Section 9 of the Post Office Act 1969. The figures that we have on a national basis give no reason to assume that anything is going wrong.