§ Mr. Michael Spicerasked the Secretary of State for Industry how much has been spent in regional aid in each region of England since 1970.
§ Mr. David MitchellExpenditure for the years from 1970–71 to 1979–80 on the principal forms of regional preferential assistance to industry in assisted areas of England is as follows:
will be able to take a complaint about its services once the scrutiny powers of the Post Office Users National Council have been removed;
289W(2) how the interests of consumers will be safeguarded if the Post Office Users National Council is no longer able to investigate services in which the Post Office has a monopoly of supply.
§ Mr. Michael MarshallThere is no question of removing from the oversight of POUNC any service of the Post Office for which there is no reasonable alternative available elsewhere. So far as the National Girobank is concerned, the removal of the duty on POUNC to deal with complaints or other matters relating to the Girobank will place the customer in the same position as customers of other banks, who do not have any specific body to deal with complaints about their services. The Girobank customer will, if dissatisfied, be free to take his business elsewhere, or if he feels it appropriate to adopt the legal remedies available to customers of all banks.
§ Mr. Cartwrightasked the Secretary of State for Industy whether he has any evidence that the power of the Post Office Users National Council to scrutinise the activities of the National Giro has placed the Post Office at a disadvantage compared with private operators.
§ Mr. Michael MarshallThe National Girobank is required to give the Post Office Users National Council advance notice of proposals to alter tariffs, or to make major alterations to its services, whereas competing banks are not required to submit such proposals to POUNC or to any similar body.
§ Mr. Cartwrightasked the Secretary of State for Industry (1) what consideration he has given to ensuring that the Post Office Users National Council retains the right to scrutinise services which the Post Office has a monopoly of supplying but not the exclusive privilege of providing;
(2) if he intends to exclude from the oversight of the Post Office Users National Council those facilities which are offered by the National Giro but by no other institution in the United Kingdom;
(3) whether any other institution in the United Kingdom provides a centralised postal Giro transfer facility along the lines of that offered by the Post Office.
§ Mr. Michael MarshallWhilst no other institution in the United Kingdom provides a centralised Giro transfer facility using the postal service, the clearing banks offer a Giro transfer facility very similar to that provided by the National Girobank for both account and non-account holders. It is intended that the postal order service, which is run by the National Girobank, but is not part of its banking business, will remain within the scrutiny of the Post Office Users National Council.