§ Mr. Pawseyasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will give details of the Post Office sampling scheme used to measure compliance with service targets and of the investigation into the statistical validity of the scheme in 1981 by Professor Alan Stuart.
§ Mr. TrippierThe Post Office measures the quality of service of the letter mail using a sampling scheme called the letter information system. Some 120–150,000 letters are sampled each month, the postmark and other details on the envelope being recorded just before each letter in the sample is delivered. A random sample of about 600 postcodes is chosen each day and all the letters for one delivery to each postcode collected. If there are not more than 25 letters for delivery to a postcode, they are all sampled; otherwise a systematic sub sample of not more than 25 letters is examined. The results are analysed by computer, giving each letter its correct statistical weighting in the analysis. Details of the scheme were published in a report to the Market Research Society conference 1982.
Professor Stuart looked at the design of the letter information system and the way in which the results were analysed to ensure that all calculations were accurate. He also watched the way in which samples were taken to ensure that the procedures were followed accurately and the system was free from bias.
§ Mr. Pawseyasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the answer of 16 February, Official Report, c. 317–18 (a) what factors were taken into account in fixing the allowance in the quality of service target of the Post Office for first-class mail for customer error at 2 per cent., and what past data this allowance was based on and (b) what factors were taken into account in fixing the allowance in the quality of service target of the Post Office for first-class mail for post office error at 3 per cent., and what past data this allowance was based on.
§ Mr. Trippier(a) The major factors taken into consideration in assessing the 2 per cent. allowance in the quality of service targets for first-class mail for customer 188W error are; incorrectly addressed items, customers accidentally placing first class mail in with second-class mail and misdated meter mail.
(b) The major factors taken into consideration in assessing the 3 per cent. allowance in the quality of service targets for first-class mail for Post Office error are; misread addresses leading to mis-sorting, other human errors and higher than expected surges in mail volume leading to failure to process the mail on schedule. Date of posting is taken from the date stamped by the Post Office at the office of posting, or for metered mail, the date stamped by the customer.
§ Mr. Pawseyasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will state the reasons given by the Post Office for current shortfalls in achieving quality of service targets.
§ Mr. TrippierAs I stated in my reply to my hon. Friend on 16 February one of the current factors adversely affecting quality of service is industrial disputes. In addition, at this time of the year, delays to the mail often occur because of the weather conditions disrupting some of the Post Offices key transportation services. Impassable roads in Scotland and north-east England because of snow, closure of airports due to fog, cancellation of railings and, particularly, delays to mail trains have all contributed to shortfalls in meeting the targets.
§ Mr. Pawseyasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will give details of the current industrial action experienced by the Post Office affecting achievements of quality of service targets; how long such action has been going on; and when it is expected to be concluded.
§ Mr. TrippierRecently there have been a number of local, generally unofficial, disputes at a few offices, which have usually been of short duration. Detailed records of industrial action and its effect on service are not maintained. However, I do recognise how frustrating their effect on postal services can be, both in the immediate locality affected and also more widely.
§ Mr. Pawseyasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish in the Official Report on a regular basis the monthly national service results of the Post Office for both first and second-class mail and cumulative figures for the financial year.
§ Mr. TrippierNo. The Post Office supply monthly national figures to the Post Office Users' National Council and to this Department; they will continue to do so. Published figures are given in quarterly and annual form and are contained in a leaflet which is available upon request from Crown post offices. This leaflet gives the results for the regions as well as for the United Kingdom as a whole; to publish these more frequently would involve extra expense and reduce the statistical accuracy.