HL Deb 18 October 1973 vol 345 cc372-4

3.3 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 progress has been made in England, Scotland and Wales respectively with schemes for combining the postal service with passenger transport in outlying rural areas by employing small buses to carry both passengers and mail, and what is their policy for advertising such services.

LORD DENHAM

My Lords, I understand the Post Office has now introduced 32 postal bus services: 5 in England, 26 in Scotland and 1 in Wales. These services are publicised locally, and timetables are available.

LORD INGLEWOOD

My Lords, while thanking the noble Lord for that reply, may I ask him whether he is aware that the publicity for such services has been very small compared with that for other rural transport services? Further, since these services have proved so successful in parts of England, would he not agree that five is really a small number bearing in mind that these services were first introduced about three years ago?

LORD DENHAM

My Lords, I understand that the bus services are publicised locally and seem to be meeting a need. The Scottish Postal Board has issued a timetable for all Scottish postal bus services. With regard to the question as to whether there should be any more of these services, if my noble friend has any particular suggestions perhaps he should take them up with the Post Office.

LORD INGLEWOOD

My Lords, I have just one more supplementary question, if I may ask it. Bearing in mind the fact that the Post Office is not responsible principally for the carriage of passengers, would it not be a good thing if the Government took this up with the Post Office, and not a private individual?

LORD DENHAM

My Lords, as I think my noble friend is probably aware, these buses have no significant effect on Post Office finances, but they are providing a service where a service is required. They are not required to compete with existing bus services. If my noble friend or any other noble Lord has any knowledge of where a need exists, the Post Office will no doubt be very glad to hear about it.

THE EARL OF SELKIRK

My Lords, now that the Post Office generally uses buses and goes to all sorts of places where ordinary bus services do not go, could this not become a perfectly general service all over the country, particularly in small places where there are not regular services?

LORD DENHAM

Yes, my Lords. Again, if my noble friend knows of any such places I am sure that the Post Office will be very glad to hear from him, too. But the difficulty is that qualifying conditions are laid down for such a service. The first is that it should fit in with Post Office operational requirements; secondly, that any additional net running costs should be met by the local authority; thirdly, that there should be a manifest need for the service in this particular area; and, fourthly, that the service should not compete with any existing bus service.

VISCOUNT MONCK

My Lords, may I ask my noble friend whether, if it is intended to combine the postal service with passenger transport in the same vehicle, any attention is being paid to the security of the postal service? One could of course answer for England and Scotland, but I am not sure about Wales.

LORD DENHAM

My Lords, I am sure that the Post Office have my noble friend's point very much in mind.