§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the President of the Board of Trade over what parts of the United Kingdom and over approximately what proportion of the area of the United Kingdom the delivery of letters and parcels is still combined at the point of final delivery.
§ Mr. LeighThe information is not readily available to answer the hon. Member's question precisely. In major conurbations most, if not all, deliveries are exclusively letter or parcel. Parcel Force currently chooses to contract out parcel delivery to Royal Mail where this makes economic sense. The combined service mainly occurs in predominantly rural areas of the United Kingdom and, despite covering fairly large areas of the country, only relates to a very low population density.