asked the Postmaster-General when he will restore the practice of issuing the Postmaster-General's Annual Report on the business of the Post Office.

The Postmaster-General's. Annual Report was last issued for the year 1915–16. Much of the information formerly given in the Report has been incorporated in the Commercial Accounts of the Post Office, the publication of which will be resumed with the accounts for 1947–48. In these circustances, I do not think that any useful purpose would be served by reviving the Annual Report.

While I thank my hon. Friend for his announcement that the publication of the commercial accounts is to be resumed, may I ask him if he will look at this question again, because an examination of the contents of the Postmaster-General's Annual Report would show that much information useful to the public was given in that Report, and it afforded information to this House, which I do not think the commercial accounts would convey?

We would be prepared to look at that, but I would remind my hon. Friend that the Postmaster-General's Report has not been published since 1915–16, and if it was not found necessary in the interwar years, I doubt whether it would be found necessary now

My hon. Friend is mistaken in believing that there has been no protest about publication of this Report. There is a widespread demand for the resumption of publication of this Report, and in the changed circumstances I feel that publication of such a Report becomes necessary.

Would not the right hon. Gentleman's Report read, "Could do better"?

The hon. Member has already had that answered in a reply I gave earlier to my hon. Friend the Member for Bedford (Mr. Skeffington-Lodge).