Miss Wardasked the Assistant Postmaster-General under what circumstances it was possible for a sub-postmistress at Harrogate to misuse public money for which she was recently convicted; what was the financial check involved; why such discrepancies were not discovered for many years; and what new steps have been taken to protect the public purse.
§ Mr. GammansThe case referred to involved the irregular issue of money 83W orders without payment, rendered possible by the modified check imposed by the manpower shortage during and after the war. A new system has now been introduced which will enable any similar fraud to be detected promptly, and indeed led to the discovery of this case.