asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what arrangements he is considering for postmasters' holidays with pay, and for making trained staff available to take over from postmasters, particularly in rural areas, who have difficulty in finding a replacement.

I assume that the hon. Member has scale payment sub-postmasters in mind. The holiday arrangements for 'sub-postmasters follow an agreement with the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters which provides that the sub-postmasters concerned must find their own substitutes; and I regret that the manpower position in the Post Office, apart from other considerations, makes it impracticable to relieve them, of this obligation.

Does the Assistant Postmaster-General realise that his answer means, in fact, that a lot of these postmasters, who have not had a holiday for many years, will not have a holiday for many years to come?

This is in the agreement made with the Federation, and the Federation have never asked us to find substitutes.