§ Mrs. Winifred Ewingasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will give a general direction to the Post Office to introduce a lower postal charge for postcards in view of the inferior nature of a postcard as against closed posted material 542W in lack of privacy, the greater ease of handling and the lightness of weight, and also direct that open letters should receive favourable treatment as against closed posted material.
§ Mr. Gregor MackenzieNo. These are matters for the Post Office, which tells me that postcards cost it no less to handle than letters, and that unsealed envelopes can cost it more because of the problems they cause in sorting machinery.
§ Mr. Corbettasked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he will give a general direction to the Post Office to prepare and operate a scheme of concessionary inland and overseas postal rates for retirement pensioners, widows, the disabled and those on supplementary benefit claimable on production of the appropriate benefit or pension book.
§ Mr. Gregor MackenzieNo. The cost of such a concession would fall on other users of the postal services, some of whom could be worse off than the intended beneficiaries.