Mr. C. WASONasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether, in view of the fact that the Admiralty have practically prohibited all passenger service between Caithness and Orkney, he will give facilities for the conveyance of mails from Scrabster to Scapa by drifter or otherwise, always provided no passengers are carried?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAI must refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by me on the 20th July.
Mr. WASONasked the Postmaster-General whether, in view of the fact that the Admiralty have practically prohibited all passenger traffic between Scrabster and Orkney, he will consider whether it is worth while to pay an extravagant price for a very indifferent and curtailed passenger service and obtain a drifter for the purpose of carrying mails only from Scrabster to Scapa?
§ Mr. J. PEASEThe remuneration of the company (which, as I have informed the hon. Member in reply to a recent question, is still unsettled) is primarily not for the conveyance of passengers (with which the Post Office is not directly concerned), but for the conveyance of mails. I doubt whether a satisfactory mail service could2088W be provided at reasonable cost by a vessel to be obtained by the Post Office for the purpose of carrying mails only, but I will make inquiry.