Hewitt apologises for late UK mail and lost items
Patricia Hewitt has apologised to Royal Mail users for late deliveries and items lost but said reforms were starting to work.
The trade and industry secretary was confronted with questions in the Commons after a Channel 4 documentary uncovered negligence and theft at Royal Mail, and the Postwatch consumers’ group said 14.4m items were lost each year.
Ms Hewitt said she “echoed the apology” given last week by Adam Crozier, Royal Mail chief executive, over late and lost mail.
The group’s three-year restructuring programme was “starting to work” despite teething troubles in the move to a single daily delivery. Royal Mail is cutting its workforce by 30,000 and phasing out the second daily delivery. The group is expected to return to profit in 2004 after years of heavy losses.
The Communication Workers’ Union, which represents Royal Mail’s postmen and women, has called for Ms Hewitt to convene crisis talks on the future of the service and take a more hands-on role in running the group. Ms Hewitt met union leaders this week in what the DTI said was a routine appointment that did not point to intervention.
Michael Fabricant, shadow post offices minister, said: “I very much welcome the apology the secretary of state gave today …for the recent poor service of the post office. It was right and proper that she accepts responsibility.
“However, I was disappointed that she was unable to offer any vision for the future governance of the post office and has no solutions for the present malaise. As the 100 per cent shareholder in the Royal Mail Group, this issue cannot be ducked by her department.”
