asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if there is evidence in his Department that mail which is dumped by courier firms is frequently recovered from pillar boxes and other places by employees of his Department.
Ceisteanna—Questions . Oral Answers . - Dumping of Mail by Courier Firms .
27.
: Correspondence which bears evidence of having been entrusted to courier firms for delivery frequently finds its way into the postal service. For the most part, these items seem to have been misdelivered, or were endorsed as incorrectly addressed or that the addressee had left the address. Some items bore no endorsement and while these may have been dumped by courier firms, it is not possible to be certain of this.
: Would the Minister not consider it incumbent on him and his Department to investigate more fully the duties of the Department to the public at large because it would seem to me that the operation of this service and the level of acceptability of the service amongst the public give rise to a considerable degree of concern? Arising out of the information he has given the House, might I ask him to state if his Department have a duty to inform the public about these activities and about the existence of what I am reliably informed are large volumes of mail being put through these services?
: It would be fair to say that there are a certain number of people using courier services which are not altogether legal at present. But it is the intention of the Department to introduce a courier service at some stage, possibly later on this year.
: Is there not a court case about it?
: For the information of Deputy Fitzgerald, I might say there are some Deputies on his side of the House who could give him a detailed account of how it operates.
: The Minister is shirking his responsibilities.
: Question No. 28.