§ Mr. Harry GreenwayTo ask the President of the Board of Trade how many(a) first class and (b) second class letters were delivered by how many postmen or postwomen in the past year; at what cost; what were the comparable figures, five, 10 and 15 years ago; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. McLoughlin[holding answer 9 March 1994]: I understand from the Post Office that the information requested is as follows:
First class letters Second class letters Postmen/ women Total cost Year Million Million Thousands £ million 11993–94 6,454 9,456 125.5 3,968 1988–89 6,067 7,137 132.9 2,539 1983–84 4,398 5,790 129.0 2,661 1978–79 3,620 5,718 125.5 1,410 1 Budget figures for 1993–94. Prior to 1986–87 letters and parcels prepared combined accounts and it is therefore difficult to draw comparisons between the present business performance and that of 10 and 15 years ago.
The staff numbers given are for those actually in post at the financial year-end and are not the average number in post during the year. Part-timers have been included on the basis of a 0.5 full-time equivalent.
Direct comparisons of costs over the period could be misleading as there have been changes in accounting procedures and in the classification of costs during the period.