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Postal Services Bill [HL]

I support my noble friend. Once again, he has stated the facts. Certainly, Postcomm, once it was charged with the provision of a universal postal service, was always more concerned about competition rather than provision. The emphasis in Hooper, in putting forward Ofcom as the best regulator, was to say that universal service provision must take priority. We should back that up in a little more detail for those who are absolutely dependent on a universal postal service. It goes without saying that for those who are disabled, chronically sick or not mobile, the universal postal service is part of the value and quality of life, but the universal service must serve their actual needs. Once more, I could use a similar argument in relation to those on pensions because pensioners become less mobile as they get older—apart from those who attend this House, of course, who are the notable exceptions. Nevertheless, it is generally true that people of pensionable age require the provision of a universal postal service. Those with low incomes are always most adversely affected by any change and that would particularly be so if we did not ensure that the universal postal service served their needs. My noble friend talked about rural areas. While I cannot be said to live in a rural area because, after all, our village has about 6,000 people, we are part of a rural area as my noble friend knows. Again, it is absolutely dependent. Information carried on the national news this weekend rang alarm bells. In remote parts of Scotland, the postal van has also acted as a people carrier and people have been passengers in it, but they are now told that that is not commercially viable. I should like to know from my noble friend why that is so. Surely it cannot be costing a large amount, yet those without a car will now have to walk. Their standard of living will certainly go down. That is the kind of thing that will occur. The market cannot provide for that: it is about a universal service provision that caters for those people who so require it. As I said, it alarmed me when I heard about that. This is the first sign of going down that road, knowing that privatisation may mean that the service side will come second to the commercial side and the making of profit. It will be about efficiency, whatever that means. Efficiency can certainly mean depriving people who need it of the universal postal service, particularly in rural areas. My noble friend was right to say that small and medium-sized enterprises depend on it. Certainly, competition has benefited large businesses: there is no doubt about that. It has given them a choice, but small and medium-sized businesses are absolutely dependent at this stage of their development. Certainly, as Hooper admitted, there has been no trickle-down to them to enable them to improve their choice from the competition that has already taken place. We must protect them. They are suffering at the moment in the economic squeeze that is going on. They do not need in addition to that to be affected by changes to the postal service being provided to them. Many of them will not be able to continue in business. Listing all those categories, my noble friend and I are right to say that this is not to be taken as implying that regard must not be had for other descriptions of users. We are trying to protect the rights of those individuals in our society who are absolutely dependent on the universal postal service—one that can be provided not on the basis of competition or profits but on the basis of need. They certainly need it. I hope that my noble friend will reply to me and assuage the fears that I have expressed in all of these categories but particularly in relation to rural areas. As I said, developments have occurred in Scotland before partial privatisation has even taken place. I support my noble friend in this.