asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if the sorting and delivery of mail which is collected in the greater Dublin region could be more efficiently expedited from district offices.

24.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will reverse the procedure at present in operation whereby all mail collected from post offices and pillar boxes throughout Dublin city must be brought to the central sorting office and subsequently city bound mail must be sent to the district sorting offices; if a reversal of these procedures would contribute to greater efficiency and maximise the utilisation of district sorting offices; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

: I propose to take Questions Nos. 23 and 24 together.

While the dispersal of mail processing in the manner suggested by the Deputy would have some advantages, the Department's assessment is that it would be more costly than the present centralised arrangement and would not lead to an improved standard of service. Further improvement in the general standard of the postal service in Dublin can be achieved mainly by clearing all mail at the due despatch times and this will be secured primarily by better arrangements at the central sorting office. It is on improving these that efforts are being concentrated at present, although the possibility of additional processing at some district offices is being borne in mind.

: Would the Minister agree that there are 12 quite spacious district sorting offices which are very much under-utilised between the hours of 8 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. and 2.30 p.m. to 5 p.m.? He made the point that it would be too costly to organise matters on the basis that I proposed. Would he not accept that frequently items of State mail which are due to the State delivery section are coming out of district offices early in the morning, cannot be handled there and are sent back into town for State delivery?

: That sounds like a very long question.

: Would the Minister not agree that delivery vans moving through heavy traffic at peak hours incur considerable expense? Surely that warrants investigation by the Minister in regard to the overall situation?

: I accept what the Deputy says in relation to rush hour traffic and the fact that they find it difficult to get mail to the central sorting offices as soon as we would like it to reach them. But, as I said in my reply, we are having a look at it with a view to having some of the sorting done at district offices.