Stamp Machines

Oral Answers to Questions — Post Office – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 19 February 1964.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Commander John Kerans Commander John Kerans , Hartlepools, The 12:00, 19 February 1964

asked the Postmaster-General what steps he is taking to ensure that General Post Office stamp machines are maintained in working order at all times.

Photo of Mr Raymond Mawby Mr Raymond Mawby , Totnes

Standing instructions provide that these machines should be tested daily and cleared and refilled as often as necessary. Faults are dealt with as soon as possible. If my hon. and gallant Friend has any particular difficulty in mind we will gladly look into it.

Photo of Commander John Kerans Commander John Kerans , Hartlepools, The

I am grateful for that reply, but it is a fact that in a vast number of areas half these machines are empty and that the coins in other machines vary from halfpennies and pennies to threepenny bits. One never knows what one may expect to find in them.

Photo of Mr Raymond Mawby Mr Raymond Mawby , Totnes

The normal stamp machine should be looked at once a day and refilled if necessary. In addition to the daily test, all stamp machines are inspected and cleaned every month and overhauled every three months. If they are used to a large extent they are inspected more than once a day. The fact that people use bent coins, foreign coins, and all those things which tend to jam up the works of stamp machines is a problem, but, by and large, we believe that the maintenance is as good as we can possibly provide.