§ Mrs. RocheTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the effect of(a) 1p, (b) 2p, (c) 3p and (d) 5p increase on the cost of (i) first-class and (ii) second-class stamps on firms with under (1) 100, (2) 50, (3) 20 and (4) 10 employees. [7554]
§ Mr. OppenheimNone. It is for the Post Office to assess the detailed impact of any changes in letter tariff rates on its customers and on mail traffic volumes. The impact on companies of higher postal charges will depend on the nature of their business rather than on the number of employees. An increase of 1p on first and second-class letter tariffs equates to a 0.008 per cent. increase in the retail prices index. By international standards, UK letter tariffs represent very good value for money both in terms of cost and of quality of service. Royal Mail's letter tariffs last increased in November 1993 and the Post Office is committed to maintaining the present rates until March 1996, the longest period of stability since the 1960s.