HC Deb 10 November 1971 vol 825 cc149-51W
28. Sir Charles Taylor

asked the Minister of Post and Telecommunications if he will give a general direction to the Post Offical that concessions in postal charges should be gives to non-commercial and non-profit-making organisations.

Mr. Chataway

No. This is essentially a matter for the Post Office and a direction would not be appropriate.

34. Mr. Arthur Lewis

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications whether he will make a statement giving details of the proposals by the Post Office, which he described on Tuesday, 2nd November, 1971, to the Law Society for streamlining postal services which will be put before the Post Office Users' Council ; why this statement was not made to the House of Commons and whether such proposals will ensure the maintenance of the same number of postal collections and deliveries at the same costs to post office users.

Mr. Chataway

I arranged for full details of the Post Office proposals to be placed in the Library on 3rd November immediately after the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Stratford-on-Avon (Mr. Maude).

In my speech to the Law Society I gave no information about the Post Office's views on prices and services which I had not given on previous occasions to the House.—[Vol. 825, c. 2 and 3.]

Mr. Pardoe

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications (1) on what evidence he stated that some people think that there are too many postal collections and deliveries;

(2) if he will place in the Library of the House of Commons a copy of the report of the research on which he based his conclusion that some people feel that postal services are becoming too sophisticated.

Mr. Chataway

Some people have told me so. The Post Office Users' National Council are now investigating public reaction to the Post Office's proposals.

Mr. Arthur Lewis

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications whether he will cause an investigation to be made into how and why full and complete details of his announcement concerning postal charges and delivery times were divulged before his official statement was made to the House of Commons, details of which have been supplied to him by the hon. Member for West Ham, North.

Mr. Chataway

The details promised by the hon. Member have not reached me, but I have no evidence that the reply I gave on 3rd November was released before it was given to my hon. Friend the Member for Stratford-on-Avon (Mr. Maude) in the usual way.—[Vol. 825, c. 2 and 3.]

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