asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he will give the surplus or deficit on the telephone account annually for the three years prior to 1939 and the three years up to the last accountancy period.
The surplus of income over expenditure (after charging interest on capital) shown by the Post Office Telephone Commercial Accounts for the three years to 31st March, 1939 was:
| £ | |
| 1936–37 | 1,472,370 |
| 1937–38 | 429,460 |
| 1938–39 | 269,639 |
The presentation of commercial accounts has been suspended during the war by Defence Regulation; but approximate and unaudited accounts on a simplified basis have been compiled for Departmental use. The surpluses shown by these accounts are substantially expanded by the increases in rates of charges made in the Budget of 1940–41 and later years, as well as by a greatly increased user of services by Government Departments. The approximate surpluses and the estimated amounts derived from the increases in charges in respect of the telephone service for the last three years are:
Surplus
| Yield of increases in charges. | |
| £ | £ | |
| 1942–43 | 12,500,000 | 7,400,000 |
| 1943–44 | 18,800,000 | 13,100,000 |
| 1944–45 | 23,000,000 | 14,500,000 |