POSTAL PRIVATISATION DANGERS HIGHLIGHTED -MATHER

.Jim Mather, MSP Argyll & Bute has welcomed the intervention of his
colleague, Mike Weir, MP, who speaks for the party at Westminster on
Business and Enterprise, for his comments on the dangers for rural areas
of the threats to the continuity of services from privatisation
proposals for the Royal Mail.

Jim Mather said:

"The maintenance of a comprehensive mail delivery service is essential
for Scotland and this can only be achieved by maintaining the company in
public ownership. We have already seen the chaos that has overtaken the
Post Office network as soon as the announcement was made and the
headlong rush towards "liberalisation "started.

The first warning was the massive increase in postal letter charges; a
rise that is seen as an inducement to potential buyers but one that is
likely to affect small business users who are unable to facilitate
quantity discounting and small and isolated rural users who are
dependent on postal services for communication and supplies. These are
areas that have already been severely affected by earlier closures in
local amenities.

With privatisation there can be little doubt that a fully privatised
Royal Mail -will we still call it that - will seek to further reduce the
present Universal Service Obligation, that presently guarantees a level
postal charging structure and delivery service across the country. That
principle has already been breached for parcel delivery services that
are deemed to be "remote" from larger conurbations. When that USO is
depleted rural communities will inevitably suffer.

The Royal Mail is not just another company to be hived off for a quick
fix. It provides essential services, especially to smaller communities
and small businesses"