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Ardmore Peninsula, Sutherland (Mail Deliveries)

: I take the hon. Gentleman's point. I was simply stating the conditions under which the 15-minute rule applies, while making the point that the 15-minute rule was designated by Postcomm, rather than by the Royal Mail as he implied. If the track is public—he has told the House that it is—the 15-minute rule as I understand it clearly does not apply. I believe that Postcomm has conceded that already, but that the focus of stage four of its investigation is on health and safety. Those are the matters on which we should focus. The hon. Gentleman also asked whether this was simply a cost-cutting exercise. I do not believe that a minor incident has been exaggerated so that costs can be cut in rural deliveries. Royal Mail has been working very hard to improve its safety record, and the number of accidents has decreased considerably in recent years. Most accidents that occur when someone is accessing customer premises do not result in a suspension of delivery, and cost is certainly not a consideration in assessing whether a situation is safe. The process put in place by Postcomm is robust enough to ensure that any exceptions are properly justified under its long-term categories. I am confident that this is not a case of people simply saying, ““Wouldn't it make life simpler and cheaper for us not to have to deliver to these rather remote addresses?”” Royal Mail delivers regularly to such addresses throughout the country and it is happy and proud to maintain the universal service obligation, so I do not believe that we are talking simply about a cost-cutting exercise. I am advised that the postman who suffered the accident was a mountaineer. I have not travelled the track as the hon. Gentleman has.