§ Mr. Cordleasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what instructions he has issued to his Department as to the use of first-class mail; and whether he will issue appropriate directions to ensure that only urgent letters are sent first class.
§ Dr. GilbertThere are standing instructions to ensure that effective and economic use is made of the two-tier system. The principle is that the cheaper second-class service should be used except when there is judged to be a clear and defensible need for the faster but more expensive first-class post. These instructions were issued to all staff in my Department when the two-class postal system was introduced and have applied ever since.