asked the Postmaster-General whether, in view of the large profit made by the Post Office, he will abolish the 15 per cent. surcharge on quarterly rental fees for telephones.

Greatly increasing costs rule out any possibility of reducing telephone rentals.

As the Post Office profits on this none too satisfactory monopoly system for last year amounted to some £9 million, does the right hon. Gentleman not consider that at least a part of this might be devoted to the benefit of the subscribers, and that he would be fully justified in reducing his surcharge?

Things have changed very substantially from what they were last year.

Is it not the case that last year the Chancellor of the Exchequer reported to us in his Financial Statement that there was a cash loss on the Post Office of nearly £10 million?

I believe there was a cash deficit.