§ Lord BOYD-CARPENTERMy 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 to how many premises not provided with telephones has the Post Office sent a letter explaining why a telephone bill has not been sent to these premises; and what will be the cost of this operation.
§ Lord LYELLMy Lords, I understand that the leaflet to which the noble Lord refers was sent to approximately 7¼ million addresses without telephones, as well as some 15 million dwellings with telephones. The cost was approximately £500,000.
§ Lord BOYD-CARPENTERMy Lords, would not the Post Office be better engaged at attempting to halt the decline in the standard of its services and the increasing charge for them rather than indulging in action of this kind, which must cause quite a lot of alarm and despondency to all sorts of humble people who have not the faintest idea what it is all about?
§ Lord LYELLMy Lords, the Post Office is all the time attempting to increase its standards of productivity and the noble Lord will, I am sure, accept the fact that this leaflet was sent out to allay alarm which had been felt by many of the customers of the Post Office.
§ Lord BOYD-CARPENTERBut can my noble friend explain, my Lords, how the delivery of this leaflet at a house which does not have a telephone can allay rather than generate alarm?
§ Lord LYELLMy Lords, perhaps it would benefit the House and help my noble friend if I were to explain that the method used for the delivery of this leaflet was the Post Office's household delivery service, which was both the quickest and cheapest method of providing this information to telephone customers. There was a considerable cost saving in both money and time.
§ Lord LEATHERLANDMy Lords, may I ask the Minister to ask his noble friend Lord Boyd-Carpenter how it is possible for alarm and despondency to prevail under a Conservative Government?