asked the Postmaster-General whether he will take steps to improve the telephone repair services available at weekends.

Yes, Sir. My right hon. Friend is considering an extension of the repair service on weekdays which should enable us to give a better service to faults reported up to 1.30 p.m. on Saturdays. An emergency service is available for the rest of the weekend.

Is not the situation rather pathetic when, in the normal course of events, people whose telephones go wrong just before the weekend have to wait until Monday to get them repaired? Would not the Bell Telephone Coy of North America be ashamed of that situation and put it right immediately?

By reason of what my hon. Friend is endeavouring to do, there will be few repairs carried over from Friday to Saturday, which will give us more time to repair the faults which happen on Saturday.

asked the Postmaster-General if, in view of the considerable telephone waiting lists and the long delays in some areas, he will allow prospective subscribers who were on these lists before 10th April, 1968, to have their telephones connected up at the old price of £10 and not the new price of £20.

No, Sir. Connection charges have been increased, as recommended by the National Board for Prices and Incomes, to reflect the cost of connecting new lines, and I cannot supply them below cost. The prices quoted by my hon. Friend are maxima; actual charges vary according to the amount of new work which has to be done.

Is my hon. Friend aware that nearly 3,000 people in the southern half of Bedfordshire are in this position? Would he accept that the Post Office is placing itself in the position of a shopkeeper who says about advertised goods, " I have not got them at the moment, but you can have them in six months' or a year's time, of course at double the price "?

I am sorry that in my hon. Friend's constituency there is a delay, and this is regrettable. In view of the fact that the previous Administration never thought of the explosive demand that there would be for telephones, sufficient orders were not placed for telephone exchange equipment.

Are not the answers to these three questions yet another proof of a failure of the nationalised industries, which give worse service at increased cost?

The hon. and gallant Gentleman is quite incorrect. He should have recognised that, when the Post Office was examined by the National Board for Prices and Incomes, it came out of the examination extremely well and was praised for its productivity and efficiency.

asked the Postmaster-General how soon he expects to receive the results of the research which is being carried out on his behalf at the University of Essex into the communication needs of the elderly.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will consider the provision of an emergency bell service for old people living alone.

A Research Fellowship was established at the University of Essex in January, 1968, for a period of two years. The research fellow will report in 1970, but I hope he will have some suggestions to make before then. In addition to this research, we are prepared to consider any practicable scheme in which the Post Office can properly help with this problem.

Will the hon. Gentleman remember the great problems of old people living alone and their need for emergency communications? Will he bear in mind, too, that only the Post Office can help in this matter? Will he give any financial assistance necesssary for this fellowship to pursue the work?

We are always giving consideration to the sort of object the hon. Gentleman has in mind. However, I would remind him that this falls not only on the Post Office. We seek to help, but it is also a matter for local authorities and other interested organisations. Some 40 local authorities and voluntary organisations already provide emergency services, and we readily give our consent to applications which are made.

While not wishing to denigrate the necessity of doing something for the elderly in this matter, does not the hon. Gentleman consider that, in view of what happened recently at the University of Essex, there ought to be some investigation into the needs of youth?

asked the Postmaster-General why the London telephone directory is to be split into 40 small directories; and whether he will place a map in the Library showing the areas each separate directory will cover.

asked the Postmaster-General on what grounds it has been decided to discontinue the issue of the four London telephone directories and to restrict each subscriber to a single local directory.

asked the Postmaster-General what consultations he had with professional and business people before deciding to split London telephone directories into separate district directories.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will reconsider the decision only to issue to subscribers telephone directories covering their immediate neighbourhoods.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will make a statement on his proposals for new editions of the London telephone directory.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will make a statement on the proposed changes in the London telephone directory.

asked the Postmaster-General what are his proposals for London telephone directories; and whether he will give an assurance that subscribers in the London telephone area will continue to receive directories for the area as a whole.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, in view of the inconvenience to subscribers and the cost of the additional use of the directory enquiries service, he will reconsider his decision to issue telephone directories only covering limited nearby areas.

I have nothing further to add to my answer to Questions on 30th May.—[Vol. 765, c. 2123–5.]

Will the right hon. Gentleman make sure that in each directory there are maps to show the boroughs as well as the postal areas, and which boroughs are outside the area of the directory?

I am aware that the hon. Gentleman has received a briefing from officials of my Department and from myself about this. I am aware of his view and I assure him that his suggestion will be considered.

Is it not a fact that the Mason master plan for London directories was revealed to the public only by accident? Is this not a serious reflection on the public relations of the Post Office?

Adamantly, no, Sir. In 1965 and again in 1966 the Post Office annual reports made reference to the change. The Press who regard themselves as news hounds failed to get on the right scent, except the Guardian which, in November 1966, published a feature article on the subject and in December of that year published facts about it in its miscellany column.

Is the right hon. Gentleman satisfied that the inclusion of the 5,000 popular names and businesses in each book will not lead to confusion and jealousy between those who are in and those who are out? Will he take care in deciding who should be in or out?

I agree that we will have to be careful, particularly on the commercial plane, to ensure that no jealousies develop.

Before finally making up his mind about this, will the right hon. Gentleman see that a careful study is made of other metropolitan areas, particularly New York, and about the thickness and type of paper to be used?

There are five, not one, directories covering New York. Those directories contain abbreviated addresses and not the full postal addresses as is our practice. This enables them to have four columns per page instead of three. However, they have a similar problem to that facing us and the problem which confronts them will be greater in future.

While congratulating the right hon. Gentleman on the steps he has taken to repair the gaff made by his Department, may I ask him to make sure that in any similar circumstances in future the general public is consulted before such radical changes are made?

Consulting the general public is a loose term which is easily used. We consulted the London Boroughs' Association, the G.L.C., the London Chamber of Commerce and the Post Office Users' Council. To discuss these matters with the general public before the general public has seen the alternative new borough directory would be difficult. However, I assure the hon. Gentleman that that type of consultation will take place when the new pilot directory is out.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the activities of businesses and others in our constituencies in Greater London are not confined to one narrow geographical area? Will he take that convenience more into account and rescind this lunatic scheme altogether?

I have no intention of rescinding the scheme. [HON. MEMBERS: " Oh."] Business men in London recently received, for the first time, a London businesses' directory. This has been received with great acclaim. It was the first step in the gradual evolution of the plan.

When my right hon. Friend says that he has no intention of rescinding the scheme, does he recall that he said recently that no final decision had yet been taken and that there would be further consultation? Will he look at Question No. 49, which is not included in the series of questions being answered, about public telephone kiosks? How is he going to pack them all in?

I meant by my reference to not rescinding the scheme that I would not halt it at the moment. We will have to go on and produce the pilot directory, first for the Borough of Hillingdon, and then see how the telephone user, the customer—especially the residential subscriber—reacts to it. We think that it will be welcomed once the change has been seen.

Has my right hon. Friend made a serious calculation of the extra cost involved in supplying additional directories to those who apply for them? Will he clarify the position from the point of view of, for example, Merseyside, and would he agree that such a parochial approach should not be attempted there?

If the scheme is successful in London, then we will have to consider schemes for the greater conurbations in the rest of the country; and I would have thought that this was a sensible step to take.

While appreciating the efforts of the Postmaster-General and his officials to explain the system to hon. Members last Tuesday, is he aware that many of us are sincerely still convinced that not enough use has been made of American experience in this matter?

I would have hoped, from the presentations we have made in documents—including the presentations we made in Committee Rooms upstairs on two occasions—that hon. Members would have seen that my officials purposely had talks with the Americans and made contrasts between what we are doing here and the problems confronting the Americans. There is, however, the difference to which I referred; that our telephone users expect a full postal address system in directories.

asked the Postmaster-General on what financial criteria he increased the charge for alarm calls from 6d. to 2s., which is an increase of 300 per cent,

The charge is being increased to eliminate the current heavy loss on this service. Charges for most alarm calls have been unchanged for 12 years.

Is not the increase of 300 per cent, absolutely staggering? Is the Postmaster-General aware that the Report by the Prices, and Incomes Board indicated that the additional yield from these charges will be negligible?

The N.B.P.I. did not dissent from this proposal. We estimate that there are 13½ million calls a year and the extra Is. 6d., if the present number of people used the service, would bring in £937,000. There would obviously be some loss of traffic and we are losing £600,000 at the moment, so probably this would just pay its way.

asked the Postmaster-General what percentage reduction in directory inquiries he expects to achieve by the proposed restructure of the London telephone directory system.

asked the Postmaster-General what estimate he has made of the number of extra staff needed for directory inquiries when the London telephone directory is reorganised.

Forty per cent, of directory inquiries in London are for numbers in the directories held by callers. A similar proportion is for a particular group of 5,000 numbers. The new structure should reduce both of these significantly and, by containing the growth in inquiries, minimise the additional staff otherwise required to meet the rapid expansion of the system.

Is the Postmaster-General aware that the claim that directory inquiries will be reduced by this proposal is the hardest thing of all to believe? Can my right hon. Friend give an assurance that he has no intention whatever of imposing charges for simple directory inquiry calls where adequate information is given?

On the latter point, yes, Sir. On the first point, I should inform my hon. Friend that there are 40 million directory inquiries in London every year and 16 million come from people who have the information already in their books, but the books are voluminous and thick and people are very hesitant to use them. On an analysis we have found that if we provided them with custom-made directories with this information they would use the books rather than directory inquiries.

Will the House of Commons figure in the 5,000 most popular numbers?

The number 6240 will be easily recognised.

asked the Postmaster-General what plans he has for licensing private enterprise firms who want to operate car radio phone services in Great: Britain.

asked the Postmaster-General what plans he has for extending the car radio phone services operated by the Post Office.

I already license organisations to communicate with their own vehicles by radio. I also license some telephone answering bureaux to relay messages over their systems. We are extending the capacity of the public radiophone service. Work has recently been completed in South Lancashire; a new system in London will be ready next year.

The car radio service from the G.P.O. is available only in London and Manchester. Could it not be supplemented by private enterprise firms?

No, Sir, because it would not be long before there would be chaos on the air.

Will the right hon. Gentleman say what is the size of the waiting list for this service in London?

In London 159 are waiting at the moment, but when the new system is provided next year this should be practically eliminated.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will make a statement on vandalism in telephone kiosks.

Wilful damage is still a grave problem which can have serious social consequences. I am glad to say that over the last three years the number of incidents has fallen; the number of offenders caught has increased; the number of kiosks not fully usable has been reduced; and those out of use have been restored more quickly.

What is the approximate cost of repairing kiosks damaged through vandalism? Is the Assistant Postmaster-General aware that he has universal support in combating this dangerous and thoughtless vandalism in telephone kiosks?

I cannot answer about the cost, but the amount of money lost on telephone kiosks within a year is approximately £4½ million.

I welcome the statement that vandalism generally has declined, but is my hon. Friend aware that in Sheffield recently there has been a sustained campaign to put public kiosks out of action and that this caused a very grave social nuisance? Would it be possible to design a heavy calibre money container which might deter people from trying to burgle the containers?

I have every sympathy with the position of the general public in Sheffield. The whole House has endeavoured to give my Department its support in our effort to safeguard the interests of the general public in this matter. We have taken certain action to try to offset vandalism in kiosks. I do not think that the House would expect me to reveal specific details. A variety of measures has been used, including the strengthening of the boxes and secret alarms.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the average estimated waiting time before a telephone can be provided to a subscriber on the Tring exchange; and what was the corresponding time in October, 1964.

The exchange is now fully loaded and new customers can be connected only to the extent that numbers are freed by people giving up service. I regret it will not be possible to connect most of those now waiting until a mobile relief exchange and additional cables are available in about a year's time. Records of the waiting periods in October, 1964, are no longer available. Since then 984 customers have been connected.

Is the hon. Gentleman satisfied with that performance, with people being asked to wait a year before they are connected? Why cannot he produce the mobile exchange much more quiukly?

We would like to do many of these things, but the growth that we planned for has been exceeded. Manufacturers have doubled their output in about two years. We are still short of exchange equipment. We will endeavour to bring mobile equipment into use wherever we can. This is a big area to cover.

asked the Postmaster-General what plans he has to set up a national advisory council representative of the radio and television industry, consumers, viewers, universities and possibly broadcasting personnel, with terms of reference wide enough for them to report on all matters affecting sound broadcasting and television.

None, Sir.

In view of the recent irresponsible attitude of the B.B.C. in inviting a German professional agitator to appear on television, does the Minister not agree with the wording of this Question, which repeats his own words in 1964?

I notice that the hon. Gentleman has cleverly quoted verbatim from what I said in 1964. Since then, in 1966, a White Paper on broadcasting was issued, which took this into consideration, and is in line with the recommendations of the Pilkington Committee. As the hon. Gentleman knows, M.P.s have many opportunities to question the Postmaster-General himself.

Does the Postmaster-General's reply mean that he is satisfied with the effectiveness of the advisory committees to bring the weight of public opinion to bear on the broadcasting authorities?

Yes, Sir. Taking into consideration that there are now a national advisory council, four regional advisory councils and 26 functional advisory councils advising the B.B.C, that seems to be adequate.

Is the Minister aware that when he used these words in 1964 they were not his personal words? He said, " we ", speaking in his capacity as the shadow Minister for his party. Now that he holds office within the area that was covered by the shadow cabinet, ought he not to pay more attention to what he said then?

We examined it in 1966 and we produced a Government statement on the matter.

asked the Postmaster-General (1) what estimate he has made of the amount of the combined radio and television licence fee required to give ubiquitous cover for radio and for television in colour in the United Kingdom, both for BBC1 and BBC2; and by what date this will be achieved;

The coverages of the national sound radio services and BBC1 on 405 lines in VHF, have already virtually reached their present practical limit. BBC2 and the 625 line duplicate BBC1 in UHF (both with colour) are expected to reach 90 per cent, coverage by 1973, virtually full coverage will be reached around 1980. The estimated cost of the additional transmitters is about £60 million at present day prices, but the licence fees depend as well on other factors, such as the cost of colour programmes and the number of colour licences and I hesitate to forecast the position so far ahead.

In view of the fact that the Postmaster-General has given us for the first time precise figures of the planned progress of universal coverage for television, and in colour, cannot he work out precisely what the television licence needs will be during the commensurate period; that is to say, over the 12 years between 1968 and 1980? That should not be unduly difficult.

No, but I do not think that it is necessary at the moment to undertake it. We have already a three-tier licence system, with £10 for colour, monochrome and sound, £5 for monochrome and sound, and 25s. for sound on its own. I would have thought that that was all right.

How long will the right hon. Gentleman maintain this system of a dual licence scheme with £10 for colour and £5 for black and white?

It is too early to take all the factors into consideration. In the main, colour will not be available generally until the beginning of 1970, so we have time to consider the question in depth.

Will the Postmaster-General publish a list or map showing the areas which will come within the 1973 and the 1980 dates, respectively, and would he be sure to include on that map the South Down area of Northern Ireland?

I am obliged to the hon. and gallant Gentleman for that suggestion. Certainly I will consider it.

asked the Postmaster-General (1) how many sites for radio masts forming part of microwave communications systems have been established in areas of outstanding natural beauty; and how many applications for similar sites are now under consideration by his Department;

Of the 96 Post Office microwave radio-relay stations in the United Kingdom 4 are in national parks and 5 in areas of outstanding natural beauty. Only one site of those at present under consideration is in an area of outstanding natural beauty. There are 174 stations in the private users microwave networks and 16 of these are in designated areas of natural beauty.

Will the right hon. Gentleman agree that he ought not to encourage the proliferation of these masts or make them any taller than necessary? Can he say on what research, and where it was published, his calculation of the necessary height is based, and will he bear in mind that, if there has to be a 7 per cent, increase in the height of a mast, it adds 21 per cent, to its cost, which may be as much as £70,000?

I am aware of the hon. Gentleman's concern in this matter, and I know that he has a problem about it in his constituency. However, in all fairness, I should say that the 7 per cent, increase in height to which he refers also means that there are fewer of these taller masts in the country.

Will my right hon. Friend undertake consultations with the Countryside and National Parks Commissions when considering the further siting of these masts?

Yes, Sir. I am certain that my hon. Friend is aware that every time any area of outstanding natural beauty is to receive a mast the Council for the Preservation of Rural England and the various other interested bodies are consulted.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is satisfied with the progress of the experiment of six local radio stations; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, in view of the current difficulties of local radio stations, he will now reconsider his refusal to allow the Greater London Council to introduce a commercial radio service for Londoners.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will make a further statement on the progress in connection with the experiment on local sound broadcasting.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will consider allowing the use of medium wavebands for local radio; and if he will make a statement.

Six stations are already broadcasting. The Leeds station will open on 24th June and the Durham station on 3rd July. I think we should give the stations a fair chance to show what they can do and not prejudge the experiment or extend it to include commercial radio stations. Moreover, successive Governments have taken the view that the conduct of, and responsibility for, broadcasting services should be vested in public corporations operating at the national level. The use of medium wavelengths for a general service of local radio is impracticable. Only a few stations able to operate after nightfall—when interference is much worse—as well as by day, could be accommodated on the wavelengths available to the United Kingdom under international agreement. The use of VHF is not limited in this way.

As regards the six existing stations, can the Postmaster-General say how much of the charges for them fall on the local ratepayers concerned and tell the House how many ratepayers listen to the stations?

Without notice, I cannot give those specific details. But it is a little too early to pressure either the B.B.C. or the local authorities from whence these stations are broadcasting. I think that we ought to give them time to see how they grow and how best they are financed.

Is it not a fact that the G.L.C. is satisfied that commercial radio is workable in London and would produce a substantial income which could be used to provide concert halls and other amenities? Is not the Government's obvious objection to this project sadly reminiscent of the Labour Party's attitude to commercial television?

The hon. Gentleman is quite wrong. Of course, the G.L.C. would like to go on to 202 metres. If that was agreed upon, at the moment we could only have 10 stations in the United Kingdom. On our present policy, if we wished to expand, we could have at least 100.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that some advocates of commercial radio have claimed that the medium wave could be used extensively for it? Will he ensure that his statement to the effect that that is not the case is given widest publicity in order to put down the misleading statements which have been made about it?

My hon. Friend is quite right. It is not possible to change the wave-length and go over to what they demand, which is 202 metres. As I have said, if that were done only 10 would be able to operate.

Speaking as an hon. Member for one of the cities privileged to have local radio, might I ask my right hon. Friend if he is aware that we have introduced a highly efficient technical product without a marketing budget? Would he make funds available locally to advertise the services in local newspapers so that we can have an effective take-off?

That would have to be considered at the appropriate time. I think that we have to operate them for 12 months and then look at them in retrospect.

How much has the B.B.C. so far had to pay out of licensing income towards the running of these stations?

The average payment for each station is £35,000 from the B.B.C. In some of the areas concerned, there may be a shortfall at the moment, but I could not say what the B.B.C. has had to do in total to keep stations going because local revenue has not been forthcoming.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that if the G.L.C. scheme is approved it will take away advertising from the local Press and thus reduce the number of democratic channels of communication open to Londoners?

My hon. Friend can rest assured that Government policy is not to allow local commercial radio stations.

Is it not already apparent that the right hon. Gentleman's predecessor gave the B.B.C. an almost impossible task? Was it not always obvious that the money would not be forthcoming? Would the right hon. Gentleman be more forthcoming on this?

I do not agree. In some instances the revenue is forthcoming locally and, after we have had time to assess them fully, it may be that two or three of them will be able to raise sufficient: finance and make local broadcasting a. viable proposition for the future.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the proposals of the G.L.C. are viewed with great apprehension by the National Union of Journalists and the proprietors of weekly newspapers in the Greater London Area? Is he acquainted with the view that these proposals would result in a reduction in the number of weekly newspapers in the area? What reply, if any, has he sent to any representations which he may have received on this subject?

I am aware of the feelings of the provincial newspapers, and it is fully realised that if local commercial radio began on any scale at all it would knock the provincial newspapers sideways.

asked the Postmaster General whether he is satisfied that there are sufficient lines for the British Broadcasting Corporation Television in Manchester to take the programmes and interviews required from London; and if he will make a statement.

The B.B.C. decides how many lines it wants for television programmes and interviews at Manchester and elsewhere. We have provided all the lines asked for by the B.B.C. for Manchester.

How do these facilities compare with those provided by Independent Television? Is the hon. Gentleman aware that at least one northern hon. Member was recently asked twice to comment on matters of considerable importance to the North and on each occasion no lines were available? Is this a case of further discrimination against the north?

The Question is not concerned with I.T.V., but I will consider what the hon. Gentleman has said and write to him.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the people of Manchester are not so much concerned with the lines from London to Manchester to bring programmes as with the availability of lines from Manchester to London? Will he do what he can to expedite the building of the new Manchester studios to replace the present wholly inadequate ones?

I have already made it clear that if an additional circuit is required for occasional use the Post Office will arrange for this to be provided on receipt of an order from the B.B.C. on an outside broadcast basis.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he has arrived at a decision as to when a fourth television programme will start to operate, and on how such a programme would be financed and administered.

asked the Postmaster-General what arrangements he has made for allocating a television channel for the purpose of providing a University of the Air.

I have nothing to add to paragraphs 16 to 20 of the White Paper on Broadcasting of December 1966.

Is the Postmaster-General not aware that—quite apart from the proposal for the University of the Air, which is to be welcomed—there is still a great need for a fourth television channel? Will he make a statement this afternoon that he understands the need for this and will do something about it as soon as possible?

I am sorry to disappoint the hon. Member. I cannot do that this afternoon. The 1966 White Paper said that there would be no allocation of extra frequencies at least for the next three years. A fourth T.V. channel at this time would not be on our high priority list.

Since the project was talked about since 1963, is it not time that the Postmaster-General had something definite to say about it?

It was talked about in 1963, probably with the encouragement of the then Government, but it was not encouraged by us. The University of the Air is being encouraged and I hope the service will start by the autumn of 1970 or January, 1971.

Will the Postmaster-General confirm that our national economic needs are not for more amusement on T.V., but for a greater willingness to work, and that people should be encouraged to work, not to watch T.V. night and day?

To say work more intelligently would be more appropriate.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will set up a committee representative of all appropriate interests to review the present system by which radio frequencies are allocated.

My Frequency Advisory Committee and Mobile Radio Committee, which advise me on frequency questions, are widely representative and already provide a forum in which possible changes in procedure could be considered.

Since the General Post Office and Defence and other Government Departments are among the main users of frequencies, would it not be wiser, and certainly fairer, if allocation of frequencies were put into some independent hands, as is done in the United States of America?

I do not see the reason for that suggestion. The hon. Member's Administration set up two Committees —one in 1954, the Mobile Radio Committee, and one in 1958, the Frequency Advisory Committee—to advise the Postmaster-General of the day on what should be done, but no one has expressed concern so far.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will make a statement on the progress of the Giro service.

asked the Postmaster-General when he now expects the Post Office Giro to become fully operative; how many post offices will be able to offer Giro services; and how many transactions daily he expects to handle.

The arrangements for setting up the national Giro service continue to make progress and I expect the service to begin in the autumn of this year, as planned. All but the very smallest post offices will handle the full range of Giro business which I estimate will produce about a million transactions a day within a year after opening.

Is the hon. Gentleman still satisfied that he will be able to run this service without making a charge to the customer?

Yes, Sir.

Will employers be encouraged to use the Giro for payment of wages? Will it be possible to use the Giro for Income Tax purposes?

Yes, Sir.

asked the Postmaster-General when the Post Office will be operating a new costing system, in view of the recent Report of the National Board for Prices and Incomes on Post Office charges.

I am setting up a team of experts to study long run marginal costs as recommended by the National Board for Prices and Incomes, and I hope their findings will be available before any further major revision of Post Office tariffs is necessary. The results will complement but not displace the present system.

asked the Postmaster-General what plans he has for licensing private firms who want to operate a personal paging service in Great Britain.

asked the Postmaster-General what plans the Post Office has for introducing a personal paging service.

My right hon. Friend already licenses organisations such as hospitals and businesses to page their employees within their own premises, and these arrangements will continue. We have undertaken market research into the demand for a paging service to be operated by the Post Office and are now evaluating the results.

Would not the Assistant Postmaster-General agree that a service of this sort would be of the greatest possible use to many people, such as doctors and salesmen and those involved in emergency services? Has not the Post Office enough to do at the moment without trying to do this job as well?

Whenever we can assist the sections of the community to which the hon. Member has referred, we endeavour to do so. We shall give every consideration to such applications.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware when I was in Holland about 14 days ago I saw that ordinary people could hire a pocket radio set by which they could be warned by a signal or a musical note when they were expecting an emergency call? This could be be very useful for the general public from time to time. Why should we not have the same advantages as Holland has?

I thought the hon. Member would have referred to America. Then I would have been able to give him an answer about what is happening in America and the type of machine they have there. Probably a simple public service could be introduced in parts of the country in two or three years, but if there were a demand for a general service with distinguishable signals it would take longer, perhaps five years, and the question of the use of national resources for this purpose would have to be considered.

Above all, when is it proposed to introduce a personal paging service in this House so that we could know when visitors arrived and when there were telephone calls for us instead of being told half an hour later by a man who has to walk around the building?

My hon. Friend should address that question to another Department.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will take steps to increase the number of representatives of the general public on the Post Office Users' Council.

asked the Postmaster-General what are the terms of reference of the Post Office Users' Council; by whom it is appointed; and where its offices are.

To represent at national level the interests of the users of Post Office services; to ensure the existence of adequate consultative arrangements at local level; to receive proposals from the Postmaster General; and to make recommendations to him about the services.

I think that that Answer related mainly to the other Question. Will my right hon. Friend take steps to make the Council rather more broadly representative of the general public? Is not the person who acts as secretary to the Council, and who does a very good job, a full-time employee of the Post Office?

First, very wide consumer interests are now represented on the Council. Secondly, the Council is independent. We established it. I appoint the Chairman. There is a Council meeting today. I have offered the Council independent premises and an independent staff and secretariat.

Does the right hon. Gentleman consider that when the Post Office becomes a public corporation the scrutiny of this Council will be a sufficient substitute for the scrutiny of Parliament to guard the public interest?

At least it will play a part. It will be recognised by Statute when the Corporation Bill is issued.

asked the Postmaster-General what was the number of Telex subscribers during each of the last five years.

I am circulating the full figures in the OFFICIAL REPORT. The numbers have almost doubled in the five years.

In view of the tremendous increase in efficiency and the saving in time and money which could be achieved if the out-of-date business of writing letters was completely replaced by Telex, does not my hon. Friend think that an increase of 100 per cent, in five years is derisory and should be reconsidered?

We are always looking at this type of service and doing everything we can to extend it. We shall continue to do this.

• 12,386 in 1964
• 14,636 in 1965
• 17,204 in 1966
• 19,501 in 1967
• 22,269 in 1968

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will take steps to improve the postal services in Stamford following the reorganisation of this office.

We shall continue to do all we can to give a good postal service in Stamford, but if the hon. Gentleman has any particular problem in mind, and he will let me have details, I shall be pleased to look into the matter.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that I have been letting him have the details for some months and that I am receiving continuous complaints from my constituents that, since the reorganisation of the Post Office, there has been a reduction in the standard of service following the downgrading of the post office at Stamford and the take-over by Peterborough? The service is getting worse and worse. Will the hon. Gentleman improve it?

I am surprised to hear those observations about the transfer to Peterborough. The change was made for administrative reasons and it did not affect the postal services. The Head Postmaster at Peterborough is just as concerned about Stamford as he is about Peterborough.