asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that letters dispatched from Central London are now taking two or more days to reach destinations in the County of Angus where previously they were normally delivered in 24 hours; and what steps he is taking to remedy this position.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the average time taken for letters posted in London to arrive in north-east Scotland; and how this compares with a year ago.

There is no general delay in delivery to this part of Scotland. Letters posted in London by the early evening are normally delivered there on the following weekday, except for remote rural areas where they may take an additional day. This service is the same as that given a year ago.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that his reply shows that communications in his Department are even worse than we feared? Is he aware that, to my knowledge, there has been no example of a letter arriving with as little delay as he indicates, and will he suggest to his right hon. Friend that instead of concentrating on producing a whole lot of new stamps he should produce a decent service for this area?

I accept that the hon. Gentleman really believes that what he is saying is correct, but perhaps I might point out that even in his own constituency there has been only one complaint within the last six months.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that as well as having to face increased charges, the public are having to put up with letters taking a week to arrive, and parcels a fortnight to arrive, in parts of Scotland? Is this the kind of service which the public are to expect in the future?

All I can say is that apart from the criticism which the hon. Gentleman seeks to direct against the Department, the information that I have from the inquiries that I have made is that there is no general delay.

In view of the unsatisfactory nature of that reply, I beg to give notice that I shall raise this matter on the Adjournment at the earliest possible opportunity.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware of the difficulties caused for industrial firms and for commercial organisations and their representatives by lateness of postal deliveries in many areas; and if he will state his plans for dealing with the difficulties which have arisen.

We aim to make deliveries early enough to meet the wishes of industry and commerce, but it is not always practicable to do so. If the hon. Gentleman will give me details of cases where the time of delivery is causing difficulties I will gladly look into the matter.

Is the Postmaster-General aware that since this Question was tabled it has been made clear that this is a matter of profound concern to the organisation of commercial travellers throughout the United Kingdom? I hope that he will consider the matter carefully.

As a result of a previous representation made by the hon. Member one of his constituents was able to get his mail half an hour earlier. The difficulty is that if completion of the night mail delivery is to be made at an earlier hour an enormous amount of manpower must be occupied in making deliveries, and we have to strike a balance between costs and service in this regard.

To what extent can the right hon. Gentleman report an improvement in the services for dealing with mail to and from abroad? This has been a failure which has brought a lot of frustration to our exporters.

That is a separate question, to which I should like to give a measured answer. One of the difficulties with mail to and from abroad is that delays do not always occur in this country. There certainly was some difficulty two or three months ago, but there has been a substantial improvement recenly.

asked the Postmaster-General to what causes he attributes the recent deterioration of postal services in England and Wales, respectively; to what extent staff shortages are to blame; and what proposals he has for improving these services.

My information does not confirm the suggestion that there has been a recent deterioration in the letter service though postal services generally in England and Wales alike are still affected by staff shortages in some of our main sorting offices. A big increase in parcel traffic in recent months, together with our staffing difficulties, have resulted in delay to some parcels on occasions. We are maintaining our drive for more staff, to enable us to provide the advertised services. In particular we shall continue to work with British Railways to see what more can be done to speed up the transit of parcel mails.

I sympathise with the Postmaster-General in regard to some of these difficulties, but is it not a fact that in some cases the service now given is much worse than it was 50 years ago? I do not blame him or his Government, but there has been a continuous deterioration. Will he do what he can to try to stem this unfortunate trend?

I am not able to deal in detail with a comparison with the situation 50 years ago, but it is true that many years ago, when labour was cheap, the pattern of postal services took extreme advantage of that fact. As for the hon. Member's local interest, I am happy to be able to tell him that the intensive recruitment campaign in May and June resulted in our filling most of our staff vacancies in Cardiff, and in Wales generally the situation is no longer serious.

Is not the Postmaster-General aware that in Mid-Wales, certainly, where there is a centralisation of postal services, there has been an increasing delay in the delivery both of letters and parcels?

I appreciate the difficulties to which the hon. and learned Member refers, but as mechanisation develops in the postal services it is inevitable that we shall see a concentration of sorting into areas on a rather more centralised basis. This should not produce difficulties of the kind which the hon. and learned Gentleman has mentioned.

asked the Postmaster-General what progress he is making in his review of the present arrangements for postal delivery services in Birkenhead; and whether this will lead to the earlier delivery of morning mails and less delay for parcels posted to Birkenhead from other parts of the country.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the latest time at which the morning postal delivery should be completed in Birkenhead.

The review of the delivery arrangements in Birkenhead will take some time yet to complete. Its object is to ensure that the first letter delivery will be completed in all parts of the town by 9.30 a.m.—the standard finishing time in provincial towns—and where delivery is now later than this it will be made earlier. The review will have no effect on the time taken by parcels in the post but we are doing all we can in other ways to improve the parcel service.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that setting a concluding time for morning deliveries as late as 9.30 falls far short of the declared aim of his right hon. Friend to meet the wishes of industry and commerce in these matters? Is he not further aware that there has been continuous protest from business and financial interests throughout Birkenhead at the lateness of morning deliveries? Can he give no better answer than the one he has just given?

We shall do what we can in the current reorganisation to give these places an early delivery, but it would be out of the question to give them all a delivery by 8.30. We have introduced certain schemes under which business firms which want to have their mail delivered earlier can rent a private box at the Post Office and anyone can call for his mail at 6.30.

When will the review which my hon. Friend is undertaking be completed? What advice can he give to private individuals about what they can do if they find the present delivery time unacceptable?

They can make representations through the Post Office Users Council. With regard to the review, there is a good deal of preliminary work to do on testing postmen's walks. There are 172 walks and about 40 of them have so far been tested. It will take some time to complete this, after which the conclusions must be accepted by the staff engaged in this work.

asked the Postmaster-General what action he has taken and proposes to take to encourage citizens to post early for Christmas.

We are keeping the public informed of the latest dates of posting by posters on vans, on outside posting boxes and in Post Offices; by advertisements in a selection of the national and local Press; and, by leaflets available in Post Offices.

I thank my right hon. Friend for that reply. Would he consider making a Ministerial television broadcast on this matter in view of the fact that it is expected that in the last two weeks in December over 1,000 million letters and 20 million parcels will be handled? Would he, on behalf of the whole House, express appreciation to the permanent Post Office staff and temporary helpers for their work in this enormous task?

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for giving me the opportunity to say "Thank you" on behalf of the House and the general public to postmen and temporary helpers. The suggestion about a television broadcast on the theme of posting early for Christmas is not a new one. Previous Postmasters-General regularly did it; it has been so successful in the past that I do not think it will be necessary this year.

As this is a point of great interest to the public, would the right hon. Gentleman describe what sort of service the Post Office will be able to give in letter and parcel deliveries, as compared with, say, last year?

This is very difficult to forecast. A great deal, as the hon. Gentleman will realise, depends on whether the public post their parcels by the 18th and their letters and cards by the 20th. If this is generally done we are hopeful that all the Christmas mail will be delivered by Christmas time.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, in view of the inability of the Post Office to fulfil efficiently many of its services, he will ban advertisements by it.

Post Office advertising is now concentrated on recruiting staff and on helping the public to get the most out of the services (e.g. post early for Christmas). Advertising campaigns designed to stimulate certain postal and telephone business as such was stopped some months ago.

Is the Postmaster-General aware that the reason why "someone, somewhere" is normally waiting for a letter these days is due to the inefficiency of the postal services? Therefore, was there any need to advertise this service earlier in the year?

I am sure the hon. Gentleman means his comment to be directed only at me—and I am quite happy to take it—but it will, of course, be read by all the people who work in the Post Office at this time of the year as an attack on them. [An HON. MEMBER: "No."] Of course it will. It simply is not true to say that the postal services as a whole and the quality of service given have deteriorated over the last 12 months. Our statistics on this, which, naturally, a big Department like this keeps very carefully, prove this to be the case, but, of course, it is true that with 30 million letters to be handled every day—or, at Christmas, one hundred million a day—some will go astray. There are mistakes of this kind and, on behalf of the Post Office, it is naturally my duty to apologise for those mistakes.

asked the Postmaster-General when he expects the telecommunication services will be able to meet all customers' requirements.

Generally the Post Office telecommunications services are meeting most customers' requirements. I shall be glad to investigate any specific shortcoming which the hon. Member would like to refer to me. Telecommunications is one of the fastest growing services in Britain today. But with a large backlog of under-investment to overtake and soaring demand it will be some years before Britain has the service it really needs.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that he has made no attempt at all to answer my Question? If he has no idea when he will be able to satisfy the customers' demands, on what basis is he planning in his Department? Or is he not?

The position is that when I took over this office I discovered that the estimates published by the previous Government were, in the case of demand, 37 per cent. out, and, in the case of calls, 50 per cent. out within 12 months of the publication of the White Paper. I discovered that my predecessor had promised to end the waiting list by March, 1966, but, on the basis of the capital investment programme currently in operation then, it would have risen to 300,000 by March, 1969. This is why we have actually increased the capital investment programme which, in the current five years, will run at the rate of £1,200 million as compared with £900 million for the five years beginning with the 1963–64 period. I can tell the House that I am the first Postmaster-General who is not short of capital for the expansion of the services.

The House will be pleased that the right hon. Gentleman has increased the general capital programme over the next few years, but can he assure us that this capital programme is not suffering from cuts like many other Departments at present?

I can give the hon. Gentleman this assurance which, from his previous experience, he will be glad to have, that there is to be no deferment of essential telecommunications investment, even under the announcements made by my right hon. Friend.

asked the Postmaster-General what representations he has made to the British Railways Board concerning delays to parcel mails in transit on the railways.

We keep closely in touch with British Railways about the handling of parcel mails. They have recently introduced new arrangements which are designed to improve the quality of service.

Yes, but is the Minister aware that they have had the effect of slowing down the service? Will he say how long he thinks it should take a parcel to travel 50 miles and how long it actually takes?

I am aware of the interest which the hon. Member has taken in this matter because of the correspondence which I have had with him, but a problem of this nature is not capable of easy solution, as I think he will agree. Progress is being made. As my right hon. Friend has announced, after Christmas the latest arrangements for loading parcel mails will be reviewed.

asked the Postmaster-General what action he intends to take on Lord Hinton's report to the Minister of Transport on the co-ordination of the parcels service of the General Post Office with the railways and the road hauliers.

My right hon. Friend tells me that he will be making an announcement about parcels and sundries in due course and I would ask the hon. Member to await that statement.

Is the Postmaster-General aware that his noble Friend, Lord Snow, in another place the other day said that the parcels post was five times as expensive and slower than it was in 1939? Will he, therefore, take this matter of the parcels post particularly to his heart? Secondly, will he admit that it is not a coincidence that 19 out of the 88 Questions which have been asked today have been to do with the parcels and letter post?

I am well aware of this. Indeed, we signed the contract with British Railways earlier this year to give to the Post Office certain rights of supervision and, indeed, duplication of rail parcel carriage in the event of difficulty arising. It also saves £4 million a year, which will help to bring the service into balance. In so far as it is open to me to co-ordinate parcels delivery with the railways, this is already done. Wider questions about parcels and sundry services generally often refer to things of a very different kind from Post Office parcels.

asked the Postmaster-General how many complaints he has received during the last six months concerning the service provided by the General Post Office Philatelic Bureau.

We received some 3,750 written complaints about the Philatelic Bureau's services in the period June-November. In the same period the Bureau dealt with over 80,000 orders.

Does the Postmaster-General realise that three of these complaints came from one of my constituents, who then received a very handsome apology from the Postmaster-General and who by the very next post received six times the order he had placed?

My predecessor set up the Philatelic Bureau, which was a very wise step. We have learned in the Post Office that nothing fails like success, because the success of the stamps programme has led to great pressure. Philatelists are extremely meticulous, and I am not satisfied that all is going well. I am giving further consideration to the problem.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will make a statement about his efforts to halt the deterioration in London's postal services.

asked the Postmaster-General what action he is taking to halt the deterioration in Greater London's postal services.

I gave details of the measures I was taking to the House on 3rd November in reply to a Question by the hon. Member for Brentford and Chiswick (Mr. Dudley Smith). Since then recruiting has improved still further and the service given is comparable to that given this time last year.

Is the Postmaster-General aware that because of the cancellation of one of the daily deliveries and also because of the repeated lateness of some of the other services, the service generally—in the words of one of my hon. Friends—is worse than it was half-a-century ago? While his efforts to stimulate recruitment are appreciated, will he look at the whole delivery system anew to see whether a much-needed improvement can be brought about?

The changes which I announced in August about the ending of the third delivery were necessary on the grounds of finance and manpower. Since the hon. Member last asked, we have added eight postmen to the Chiswick Post Office. Vacancies in the London Postal Region inner area, which were 1,400 in May, are now only 972 and we have employed women and part-time workers. This is the product of an intensive campaign which has led and should lead to improvement.

Is the Postmaster-General aware that the deterioration in the postal services and the frustration caused by that deterioration is exacerbated by the deterioration in the telephone service? Is he aware that one of my constituents has just been told that it will take 18 months to install a new telephone, whereas it takes two days to install a new telephone in New York?

The Bell Telephone System invested more capital in its system in one year than the Conservative Party invested in the 13 years it was in power. This is a problem common to the whole community, and it causes great difficulty. We are all in a sense responsible for this neglect, but after neglecting investment in the telephone service for a very long time it is no good suddenly expecting that it can be put right in a matter of months, because it cannot.

If recruiting in London has improved to a considerable extent, as I understand is the case, why is the service only as good as it was last year? Why has it not improved?

The problem of recruitment is not a new problem in London. The position deteriorated in the period between last year and now. We have sought to pull it back to the level of last year.

asked the Postmaster-General why the postal and telephone services have deteriorated in Richmond; and if he will set up a local inquiry into this.

Mainly because of a shortage of staff, the postal service in Richmond is not as good as it should be, but our recruitment campaign is meeting with some success. I have no reason to believe that the telephone service at Richmond has deteriorated.

Will the hon. Gentleman look at this matter again and answer my Question? Will he set up an inquiry into the deteriorating position which he just admitted exists? Is he aware that this problem is having a great effect on the commercial activities of firms in the Richmond area and that there has been no sign at all of improvement since the steps he took last summer?

All I can say in response to that supplementary question is that, apart from the complaints which have been made by one firm and which have been passed on to the Department, no evidence of serious loss of letters in the Richmond area has been reported.

In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the Assistant Postmaster-General's reply, I beg to give notice that I will raise the matter on the Adjournment.

asked the Postmaster-General how many public lectures were given by officials of his Department, how many public showings of films about his Department there were, and how many public displays, demonstrations and exhibitions about his Department have taken place during the last 12 months.

In the last 12 months there have been about 3,600 public lectures by Post Office officials, 2,400 public showings of films and 8,700 public displays, demonstrations and exhibitions about my Department.

Will the right hon. Gentleman recognise that this is a very valuable way by which officials of his Department can assess public reaction to the services he is providing? Is he aware that in the case of a statutory monopoly one often has the impression that complaints are received rather in the way of one kicking against cotton wool? Does he not agree that officials who are in contact with the public through the media mentioned in the Question are more likely to give a service which meets the public's requirements?

I fully accept what the hon. Gentleman says and there is no Department in closer contact with the public than the Post Office. It is for this reason that we set up the Users' Council, so that the users may be really organised in their representations to us. These exhibitions and displays also help the public to get the most out of the services which we now offer to them, and I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his comments on the subject.

asked the Postmaster-General whether his answer on 29th March, advocating the adoption of the National Television System Committee system of colour television, remains the policy of Her Majesty's Government.

asked the Postmaster-General whether the Government's policy on colour television remains the same as in his anwer on 29th March; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Postmaster-General if, when he has studied the report of the Technical Advisory Committee recommendations, he will announce the date of introduction of colour television programmes in Great Britain.

I cannot add to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Brighton, Kemptown (Mr. Hobden) on 1st December: that is, that the Television Advisory Committee has recommended to me that colour television be introduced on 625 lines only, using the PAL system of transmission and I am considering this advice.

Cannot the right hon. Gentleman tell us more of what happened at the conference in Rome last week? Further, will he tell us what instructions he gave the British delegation which went to that conference?

The position is that at the Vienna conference earlier this year the Government recommended our delegation to put forward the N.T.S.C. system, in the hope of getting general agreement. Since then, we have reconsidered it in the light of the failure to get international agreement about a system. There is no firm decision yet on the PAL system, although the other recommendation about colour being on 625 lines is, of course, in line with the policy put out by the previous Government in their White Paper. Every other European country is in a similar difficulty to our own, and indeed at the E.B.U. conference yet another system was brought forward, I believe a Russian development of S.E.C.A.M. This is really a very intricate and difficult problem.

I regret that my right hon. Friend cannot give an opening date. Can he tell me whether the Technical Advisory Committee has estimated the number of sets capable of receiving the initial transmission? Can he also tell me whether the Television Advisory Committee report has any information as to set costs, maintenance and any necessary aerial adjustment?

The Television Advisory Committee's function was to recommend to us the best system that it thought we should adopt. The number of sets available would depend on the number of sets manufactured and cannot be estimated with any great degree of accuracy at this stage. There is no doubt that once we can get the firm decision that I am keen to get many of these other questions will be answered.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that over the last 12 months we have deliberately not pressed him on this subject knowing its complexity? As he now says that he hopes to come to a firm conclusion, will he tell us when he thinks this will be and whether he will be able to make the announcement in the House?

It will certainly be made in the House of Commons. I was hoping that the hon. Gentleman would comment on the fact that he had said that the announcement had already been made. It has not. This is tied up with the future of the Fourth Channel, as he knows, because of the interest of the I.T.A. in the Fourth Channel. It will, therefore, be announced when the conclusion of the broadcasting review is reached, which I hope will be early next year.

asked the Postmaster-General what decision has yet been reached by the Government on whether local sound broadcasting should be introduced into the United Kingdom.

asked the Postmaster-General what action he has taken to establish local sound radio; and if he will make a statement.

The Government are currently reviewing this and other aspects of broadcasting policy. As soon as the review is completed I will, of course, be reporting its outcome to the House.

Since there is an obvious demand for programmes other than those supplied by the B.B.C., would the right hon. Gentleman not be better occupied in licensing local radio stations and not indolently threatening the pirate radio stations which are merely meeting this demand?

Nobody disputes the popularity of local record programmes, which almost all members of the House and the general public like. The question is whether they should be provided at the expense of the enjoyment and rights of, and duties to, others. The question of local broadcasting, in which I am keenly interested, is one of the subjects of the review. That is why we are hoping that when the review comes out we shall be able to give a clear answer on this.

But when will the review come out and when will the decision be taken? All we have heard from the right hon. Gentleman so far, as my hon. Friend has said, are threats against pirate radios. We still have not heard any comments from him or his right hon. Friends about the setting up of a university of the air. When will these decisions be taken by the Post Office?

The hon. Gentleman knows that even the last Government promised a review of broadcasting policy at the end of last year. These are very complex questions and I hope, as I announced earlier, that we shall be able to publish a White Paper or make a statement early in the New Year. But I do not believe that these matters should be rushed as a result of pressure exercised in the way in which the present pressure group is seeking to exercise it.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will introduce legislation to set up an authority, similar to the Independent Television Authority, with power to control the content of British Broadcasting Corporation programmes.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will introduce legislation to establish an organisation similar to the Press Council which will have the authority to receive, select, consider and pronounce judgment on complaints in respect of all sound and television programmes, and authority to compel the broadcasting of its judgments when, in the opinion of the organisation, this is necessary.

asked the Postmaster-General if, in view of the growing number of obscene, blasphemous and indecent performances on television, he will make it a condition of renewing the Charter of the British Broadcasting Corporation that they appoint a censorship body as is done by the film industry; and if he will make a statement.

No, Sir. The governing bodies of both the B.B.C. and the I.T.A. are appointed as public corporations and are entrusted with responsibility for the programme content of their services. They are already under a duty to satisfy themselves that, so far as possible, their programmes do not offend against good taste or decency, nor are offensive to public feeling and they have full powers of control. Both bodies also have Advisory Councils.

Why not? Is the Postmaster-General aware of the very salutary effect which the I.T.A. has on commercial television? At present the Board of Governors of the B.B.C. are failing dismally in their duty. In view of public opinion in this matter, will he please change his mind?

I very well understand the strong feelings expressed by the hon. Member. For my part, I should greatly welcome an opportunity to debate this matter rather than just discuss it by exchange in this way across the Floor of the House. But with the Board of Governors exercising full responsibility, it is clearly not for me to intervene.

Mr. Dempsey.

On a point of order. In view of the unsatisfactory——

Order. The hon. Member may not take that step at this moment because Questions by other hon. Members were answered at the same time as his Question, and his giving notice would prevent them from putting a supplementary question.

Has my right hon. Friend forgotten that he also refused my request to establish a viewers' council? As the B.B.C. is obviously not exercising these controls, can my right hon. Friend suggest any ways and means to the House whereby the blasphemous, sexy and profane parts of television performances can be removed?

Being very well aware of this problem and of the strong feeling aroused by it, as I told the House I asked the B.B.C. and I.T.A. to make a point of bringing to the attention of their Boards of Governors comments made by hon. Members and reported in HANSARD about the quality of their programmes. A number of individual hon. Members and groups make representations. I think that this is the best way of doing it, although in the debate on 13th May, my right hon. Friend the Lord President of the Council said that the Government were considering proposals for a viewers' council, which is a suggestion which has been made.

My right hon. Friend said that there was a responsibility for seeing that there was nothing offensive to public taste. Does he not agree that the use of a crucifix as a pipe rack was offensive to public taste?

I fully recognise that the incident to which my hon. Friend referred gave very great offence.

In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the reply, I give notice that I hope to raise the matter on the Adjournment as soon as possible.

asked the Postmaster-General what steps are being taken to improve the poor reception of television services in the Llanfyllin area of Montgomeryshire.

It is for the broadcasting authorities in the first place to consider what they can do to improve the reception and extend the coverage of their services. The I.T.A. have recently put to my right hon. Friend their plan to this end; and the B.B.C. are, I understand, about to refer to him Stage 5 of their plan for B.B.C. 1. As soon as he has considered these plans, he will make an announcement.

Is the hon. Member aware that the inhabitants of this area, as of many other areas in Mid-Wales, have been waiting patiently for years for a reasonable television reception even of one programme? Will he bring pressure to bear on the Department concerned.

I can appreciate the feelings of the hon. and learned Member about the position of his own constituents, but I must tell him that the claims of Llanfyllin will be considered along with those of other places where reception is poor or non-existent.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will take steps, under section 14(4) of the British Broadcasting Corporation's licence and agreement, to require the British Broadcasting Corporation to mark all programmes that are likely to be offensive to religious susceptibilities.

No, Sir. The B.B.C. is already under a general duty to satisfy itself, so far as is possible, that its programmes do not offend against good taste nor offend public feeling. It must remain a matter for its day-to-day judgment whether viewers' attention should be drawn to particular programmes in any way.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that in the programme to which reference has been made—in which a crucifix was used as a pipe rack—our Lord's words were also used in a pornographic joke? Is he aware that this gave great offence and that if it had affected a minority religion there would surely have been a great outburst? Should not such programmes be marked, "Only suitable for atheists and not ordinary people who believe in religion?"

As the hon. Gentleman knows, the B.B.C. does sometimes alert viewers to some of its programmes. Religious susceptibilities or feelings are strong, but not only between Christians and atheists. Sometimes strong feelings are aroused between members of different denominations. I am told, for example, that the Pope's broadcast from the United Nations caused great hostility among some other denominations, incredible though that may seem. It is difficult, therefore, to deal with this problem.

Apart from religious susceptibilities, would my right hon. Friend not agree that there is strong feeling in many quarters about many of the programmes for which the B.B.C. is responsible? Would it not be desirable, if this is not already done, for the B.B.C. to invite a delegation of hon. Members to discuss these matters with the Corporation?

I am well aware of what my right hon. Friend says about the strength of feeling on this issue—of which I know the B.B.C. is also well aware. As my right hon. Friend will know perhaps better than anyone, it is difficult to say almost anything worthwhile without offending somebody.

Would the Postmaster-General point out to the B.B.C. that scenes and acts which may be suitable for sophisticated audiences in small places like cabarets are unsuitable for general broadcasting to millions of the general public?

This is one of the difficulties of mass communication. If the B.B.C. and I.T.A. were limited in what they could broadcast generally to what was suitable for young people it would greatly limit their output. I know that this arouses very strong feeling and if the hon. Gentleman feels so strongly about it he should, as many hon. Members do, make representations to the B.B.C. and I.T.A. either directly or through me.

asked the Postmaster-General in view of the widespread dissatisfaction about the present standards of television programmes, if he will introduce legislation to enable a full inquiry to be held into the impact of the present television programmes upon all sections of society, especially children, and the need for greater supervision.

No, Sir. A Committee to initiate and co-ordinate research into the part television plays or could play as a medium of communication and fostering attitudes, particularly of young people, was appointed in July, 1963 by the then Home Secretary. It is under the chairmanship of Mr. Noble, Vice-Chancellor of Leicester University.

In view of the increasing number of people who have become anxious about programmes which are thoroughly offensive and feature a considerable amount of violence, will my right hon. Friend persuade the broadcasting authorities to examine this problem more closely, particularly in view of the increased amount of vandalism and crime and the need to ensure that these media do not increase or encourage crime?

What my hon. Friend says certainly confirms the wisdom of the previous Government in appointing this Committee. However, I greatly hope that we will have an opportunity of a short debate in the House, perhaps in response to the hon. Member for Bromsgrove (Mr. Dance), so that some of the difficulties can be more fully aired.

Is the right hon. Gentleman able to say when the Committee will report and whether its report will be purely for the B.B.C. or whether it will be published so that we can all see it?

With respect, that question should be addressed to my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary. The first working paper has already been published and further documents will be coming out. I will make some inquiries on the subject and let the hon. Gentleman know.

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.

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.