§ Mr. Onslowasked the Minister for the Civil Service what steps are being taken by Government Departments to encourage economy in the use of postal services.
§ Mr. Charles R. MorrisDepartments have standing instructions that the cheaper second-class service should be used except where there is a clear and defensible need to use first-class post. Departments have recently been reminded of these instructions and that the maximum possible use should be made of the departmental van services and of the Inter-departmental Despatch Service—IDS—run by the Department of the Environment.
§ Mr. Onslowasked the Minister for the Civil Service what proportion of outward departmental correspondence currently 504W goes by first-class mail; and what the additional amount due to the Post Office would be if all this mail were charged for at the first-class rate.
§ Mr. Charles R. MorrisThis information is not available.
Several methods are used by Departments to pay for postal services and central records therefore do not enable this information to be provided. So far as pre-paid—official paid—stationery is concerned, repayment is made at current prices based on a composite postage rate agreed with the Post Office following a sampling exercise to establish the proportions of first to second class mail.