§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has received any representations concerning the implications of the current external financing limit for the capital investment programme of the Post Office; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. PattieI shall reply to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assumptions were made when fixing the external financing limit for the Post Office for 1986–87 as to the implications for tariffs within the overall financial framework of the Post Office.
§ Mr. PattiePricing decisions are a matter for the Post Office Board, but in determining the Post Office's external financing limit for 1986–87 my right hon. and learned Friend, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, assumed a general level of tariffs consistent with the Government's policy on nationlised industry pricing. Our expectation is that the Post Office will be able to maintain its recent record of reductions, in real terms, in the cost of first and second class postage.
§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has recently received concerning the implications of Government external financing limits for tariffs charged by the Post Office.
§ Mr. PattieApart from the views of the Post Office given in discussions with my Department about future financing needs, the Post Office Users' National Council has commented on this question.