HL Deb 14 July 1975 vol 362 cc997-9
Viscount HANWORTH

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 have considered fully the possibility of making economies in the postal service by reducing the frequency of deliveries to one a day, and allowing commercial and other organisations to use a Post Office box number to collect their own mail at more frequent intervals.

The MINISTER of STATE, DEPARTMENT of INDUSTRY (Lord Beswick)

My Lords, as the Post Office's recently announced proposals for service cuts show, they are acutely conscious of the need to make economies in the postal service. One proposal put to the Post Office Users' National Council is for the complete withdrawal of remaining second deliveries in rural areas. Together with other possibilities, the Post Office will be considering the proposal in the second part of the noble Lord's Question.

Viscount HANWORTH

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that reply. May I ask whether a survey in depth will be, or has been, conducted to see the feasibility of what I am suggesting in the Question?

Lord BESWICK

Yes, my Lords. That and other matters, as I said, are being considered and if there were any proposal in the nature of a cut it would be a matter for discussion with the Post Office Users' National Council.

Lord SLATER

My Lords, is my noble friend aware that if the proposal in this Question were put into effect there would be an enormous protest, not from the ordinary people in society but from big landowners throughout the country, because of their distance from the delivery points to which the postmen must ensure that the mail arrives? Is he further aware that, if the second delivery were taken off and we had only one delivery per day, of the 422,000 people for whom I was responsible when I was a Minister concerned with the Post Office there would be a reduction on the postal side of no fewer than 100,000?

Lord BESWICK

My Lords, there would be no reduction in costs unless, of course, there was a reduction in man-power. But the sort of point my noble friend puts is being considered.

Lord GRIMSTON of WESTBURY

My Lords, have the Government made any inquiry about the colossal miscalculation of £240 million-odd, which was admitted by the head of the Post Office in a television interview the other day?

Lord BESWICK

My Lords, I am not aware of what was said in a TV interview, but certainly the whole range of figures is being considered, and the method of reaching the sort of calculations that were made is also under consideration.

Baroness WARD of NORTH TYNESIDE

My Lords, when the Minister is making his various inquiries, will he find out how many people will be out of employment because of the increase in postal charges? I think, for example, of the number of people who may not be able to sell their Christmas cards because people will not be able to afford the increased postage for Christmas cards. What about people who, for example, usually send quite heavy parcels—such as boxes of chocolates—to children in their families, who will not be able to afford the increased cost of sending them? Will the noble Lord find out how many people will be put out of employment, because that is important from my point of view and that of many of the people whom I represent?

Lord BESWICK

My Lords, I think the noble Baroness has a point, and she is absolutely right. But what she says about the effect on employment is an effect which will be felt more widely unless inflation can be brought under control.

Viscount HANWORTH

My Lords, will the noble Lord bear in mind that the delays in the delivery of post are such both for first and second class mail that the delay resulting from one delivery, of perhaps 12 hours, would be relatively small in most cases?

Lord BESWICK

My Lords, I have no doubt that the Post Office is aware of this.

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