asked the Postmaster-General why he has refused to install a telephone kiosk in an old people's estate, Godric Place, Norwich.

There are already four telephone kiosks under half a mile from this estate and a fifth one is not justified for general use. It has been suggested to the Norwich City Council that it might rent a coin box installation for the special needs of this section of their community but it has not viewed the suggestion favourably. I think this might be discussed further with the Council.

Is my hon. Friend aware that this is a profoundly unsatisfactory reply? Is he suggesting that a responsibility of the Post Office should be transferred to the Norwich Corporation? I would point out to him——

Order. The hon. Member must ask.

May I ask my hon. Friend whether he appreciates that there are 106 dwellings on this estate occupied almost entirely by elderly people and in addition a further 27 houses and 24 flats nearby which could quite easily use this kiosk?

At the moment the Post Office is already subsidising kiosk users generally. It did so to the extent of £4¼ million last year. This is a tremendous burden to carry. We are not seeking to persuade the Norwich authorities to subsidise the Post Office.

asked the Postmaster-General how many subscribers within the Birmingham telephone area were compelled to accept shared lines at the latest convenient date and one year previously.

I am sorry that this information is not readily available, but at 31st October about 44,600 of the 183,000 subscribers in the Birmingham Telephone Area had accepted shared lines. The figures one year previously were 36,300 and 168,400 respectively.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that there is considerable concern at the harsh policy adopted by the Post Office in this matter, in particular since the reply that I received from the Postmaster-General which said that exemptions must be consistently rejected?

I am sorry, but I must tell the hon. Member that we shall have to continue to ask these people to share when this is necessary, in order to improve the service to others. We have a long waiting list, and people are constantly making application for the installation of telephones. We are also constantly receiving requests from Members of Parliament in respect of individual cases. Until we can overcome this waiting list problem shared lines will have to continue to operate.

asked the Postmaster-General what was the number of outstanding applications for the installation of a telephone within the Birmingham telephone area at the latest convenient date and one year previously.

Excluding orders in hand or under inquiry, the numbers were 3,663 at 31st October, 1965, and 3,802 one year earlier. During these twelve months the number of connections increased by about 14,600.

Does not the hon. Gentleman agree that this indicates that a harsh policy with regard to shared lines is quite unnecessary?

No, I cannot agree. Most of those who are now waiting should have the service by March, 1966.

asked the Postmaster-General what proportion of prospective outward trunk calls from Birkenhead encounter the Circuits Engaged announcement; how this compares with the comparable proportion when subscriber trunk dialling was first introduced in Birkenhead; how it compares with the comparable proportion on other subscriber trunk dialling exchanges; what steps he is taking to ensure the availability of sufficient trunk lines to cope with peak demand for outgoing trunk calls from Birkenhead; when such steps will be effective; upon what assumed growth rate of trunk traffic he bases his assessment of the adequacy of such steps; and what has been the actual comparable rate of growth since the introduction of subscriber trunk dialling in Birkenhead.

As the Answer to this long Question is also rather long, I will circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Can the right hon. Gentleman, whose difficulties I appreciate, give me any indication when reconsidering my Question of whether the proportion of calls being met by the engaged recorded answer is continuing to rise and is still well above the national average or the national target figure?

The average percentage of outward trunk calls encountering the engaged announcement this year in Birkenhead has been 3 per cent., but there was an upsurge in October, when the figure reached 5·7 per cent. The national average this year is 2·5 per cent., but at the time STD was introduced in Birkenhead, it was 3·9 per cent. We are catering for an increase in trunk traffic of 17 per cent. a year, at compound interest, compared with only 13 per cent. since the time that STD was introduced.

asked the Postmaster-General how many international telephone circuits will be available to meet the heavy traffic expected from the International Air Exhibition at Farnborough next year to France, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Italy, and Sweden, respectively.

I expect there to be thirty-five outgoing circuits over which it will be possible for international calls to be passed from the Air Exhibition to London. I will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT details of the total circuits expected to be available at the Continental Exchange for outgoing calls to the countries specified.

Does the hon. Gentleman recognise that important export orders in an exhibition of this type may often depend on a really quick and reliable telephone service?

Yes, Sir.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will give figures to show the incidence of vandalism in respect of telephone kiosks; and what steps are being taken to reduce this vandalism.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the total present annual cost of wanton damage to public telephone kiosks as compared with the cost in the three previous years.

In 1964 there were about 100,000 cases of vandalism involving nearly half of our 75,000 call offices, about a quarter of which were subjected to repeated damage and 1965 figures will be higher. As I told the hon. Member for Twickenham (Mr. Gresham Cooke) and the hon. Member for Barry (Mr. Gower) on 27th October, my right hon. Friend is stepping up measures to safeguard the equipment and detect the offenders.

Excluding overheads and loss of revenue, the estimated cost for 1965 is £200,000. This is a percentage increase of 33⅓ per cent., 122 per cent. and 198 per cent. respectively over 1964, 1963 and 1962.

In view of the appalling nature of this problem, would the Assistant Postmaster-General think in more drastic terms in order to find a remedy? If this rate of damage continues, would it not be proper to deny free access to call-boxes?

It is true that this has caused us great concern. It is equally true that among the suggestions put forward has even been the one that we should withdraw kiosks from the service, no matter where they are. This type of vandalism takes place in many of our major cities and is on the increase. We are doing everything we can, with the co-operation of the police and the general public, to stamp it out.

asked the Postmaster-General how many subscribers' telephone lines were installed in the last 12 months; and how many people are still on the waiting list.

Approximately 751,000 new exchange connections were supplied in the 12 months ended 30th September last as compared with 615,000 in the previous 12 months. Excluding orders in hand or under inquiry, there were about 63,000 applications on the waiting list at that date.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that while the task of catching up on this backlog is satisfactory as far as it goes, the telephone under the Conservatives became not a luxury but an every-day article? Will he, therefore, tell the House what new proposals he has to clear off the final backlog?

This is largely a matter of capital investment, manufacturing, acquisition of sites, recruitment of skilled engineers and so on. It will be some time before this country has the telephone penetration which a modern technical society should have. Meanwhile, there are bound to be delays and, as the hon. Gentleman says, demand is now soaring. In the case of trunk traffic it is rising at a rate of 17 per cent. per annum compound interest.

Is it not possible for his Department to provide some way of cutting off a telephone so that there is not telephone penetration at 3 o'clock in the morning?

I really think that it would be open to objection if the Postmaster-General decided at what hours people could make calls.

asked the Postmaster-General by what date the new automatic telephone exchange will be installed and operating at Burgh Heath, Surrey.

My right hon. Friend plans to open the new automatic exchange at Burgh Heath during next summer.

Is the Assistant Postmaster-General aware that the present exchange serves a most important and highly built-up area? Will he ensure that there is no delay in the opening of the new telephone exchange?

Yes, Sir.