§ Rear-Admiral Morgan Gilesasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will take steps to improve the delivery of mail to Her Majesty's ships serving on the Beira Patrol.
§ Dr. David Owen:The arrangements for delivery of mail to ships on the Beira Patrol are under constant review to ensure that the best possible service is provided. As part of this, arrangements were made in August, 1967, for air drops three times a week by R.A.F. long range maritime patrol aircraft based at Majunga, Malagasy. In January, 1968, an Army Postal Sergeant was also added to the staff there to assist with the handling of mails.
There were difficulties in maintaining the service in November this year. As a result of this newspapers sent by air and small packages were delayed. These difficulties have, I am glad to say, now been overcome.