asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what instructions he has issued to his Department as to the use of first-class mail; and whether he will issue appropriate directions to ensure that only urgent letters are sent first class.

There are standing instructions to ensure that effective and economic use is made of the two-tier system. The principle is that the cheaper second-class service should be used except when there is judged to be a clear and defensible need for the faster but more expensive first-class post. These instructions were issued to all staff in my Department when the two-class postal system was introduced and have applied ever since.