§ Mr. Gorstasked the Secretary of State for Industry how many prosecutions there have been since 1953 under Section 58 of the Post Office Act 1953; how many there have been under Section 68 of that Act; by whom those prosecutions were instituted; and what statutory authority exists to determine who normally institutes proceedings under these two sections of the Act.
§ Mr. Les HuckfieldI can answer only in respect of prosecutions instituted by the then Postmaster-General or the Post Office: there may have been others brought from other sources. The Post Office tells me that since 1953 about 595 have been brought under Section 58 of the Post Office Act 1953; it is not aware of any under Section 68. There is no statutory authority in the Post Office Acts to determine by whom proceedings under these two sections should be brought.