§ Mr. Barry Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information he has on the numbers of people employed by the Post Office in Wales in (a) 1979, (b) 1982 and (c) at the latest date for which figures are available.
§ Mr. ButcherI understand from the Post Office that the available information relates only to staff employed in the area covered by the postal board for Wales and the Marches (which, apart from Wales, includes parts of Cheshire, Hereford and Worcester, and Shropshire). The figures are as follows:
February Number 1979 8,660 1982 8,644 1986 8,847 The figures include part-time staff counted as equivalent to half full-time employees.
§ Mr. Barry Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information he has on the numbers of (a) post offices and (b) sub-post offices in Wales in (i) 1979 and (ii) the latest date for which figures are available.
§ Mr. ButcherI understand from the Post Office that the information requested is as follows:
609W
Crown offices Sub-post offices 1979 98 1,752 1986* 91 1,647 * February. The figure for 1979 is an estimate, because at that time the Post Office did not maintain records separately identifying offices in Wales and those in England within the area covered by the postal board for Wales and the Marches. The estimate assumes that 80 per cent. of the offices in that area are within Wales.