asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that some firms are reluctant to move from the Metropolis because of their concern that they will lose business owing to clients' reluctance because of charges to telephone them; and if he will consider establishing a London telephone exchange with private extension lines to decentralised offices.

Subscribers may have ser vice substantially as proposed by renting lines connected to distant exchanges. Callers may also, without charge to themselves, call "Freefone".

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for that reply. Will he give more publicity to the fact because I am sure he would agree that it would help offices to move out of London, which is one of the good policies of this Government?

I think it a very good arrangement. I shall arrange for more publicity to be given to the "Freefone" facility.

asked the Postmaster-General what steps are taken to protect telephone subscribers against overcharging.

asked the Postmaster-General how many complaints he received during 1968 of excessive telephone accounts; how this number of complaints compared with the numbers in 1966 and 1967; what investigations his Department carried out into the possibilities of including in the subscriber's home a meter showing immediately the total units consumed in subscriber trunk dialling calls; what estimates are available of the costs of such a subscriber-meter scheme; and if he will make a statement.

We do not keep a separate record of complaints about in correct accounts. We undertake extensive staff training and regular equipment testing to see that the recording of charges is reliable but human error is always possible. However I am satisfied that the number of mistakes is minute in proportion to the 30 million bills a year.

The Postmaster-General has made no reference to decreasing charges when telephones are out of order. Any other organisation renting equipment which does not work expects a rebate. Why does he not publicise the fact that he can do that if he has power to do it?

Because invariably when phones are reported out of order we put them in order within 24 hours—often on the same day. I think this is a very good result.

Does my right hon. Friend accept that, whereas I agree that the number of mistakes is small, there are some which are important in the few cases concerned? Would he accept that the degree of uncertainty must be greater for subscribers with S.T.D.? Since the introduction of meters is almost impossible financially, will he give greater publicity to the availability of meters under special arrangements?

We are doing that and the number of complaints we get is comparatively small. This points to the number of acutal mistakes of only about 31,000 a year out of a total number of bills of 30 million, which is only 1 per cent. That is extremely low, but I will look at the suggestion made by my hon. Friend.

Is the Postmaster-General aware that on long-distance telephone calls the lines are often so bad that, instead of taking three minutes, the calls take six minutes, thus doubling the charge to the customer? How about that one?

I think that is a very foolish one because in my experience, and I think in the experience of most customers, our trunk line service is extremely good and S.T.D. has enabled the charge for long-distance calls to be substantially reduced.

Ridiculous.

asked the Postmaster-General what has been the annual income to the Post Office for out of London area telephone calls made from the House by Members of Parliament for the years 1965. 1966, 1967 and 1968; and what has been the relevant cost of collecting such payments from Members.

The total income for 1968. including receipts from bills, from coinboxes, and from cash payments to the Attendants was about £6,700. The cost of collection by billing alone was about £4,500. Cost and revenue figures for earlier years are no longer available.

I thank my right hon. Friend for that reply, which will be given the consideration which it ought to receive. No doubt he will be hearing further on it later.

asked the Postmaster-General what proposals he has to improve the telephone service between the Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Bristol telephone areas.

asked the Postmaster-General what plans he has to improve the telephone service to the north of England, especially to Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

We are putting in additional trunk lines. These will increase the route capacity between Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Bristol by 30 per cent.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that this is a continuing process, because there is an ever-growing volume of calls on this trunk line and there are at present long delays, particularly in the cheap rate period? Can he give the House any assurances about that?

We will provide an additional 45 lines. I think that these will be sufficient to deal with the increase in demand on this very important trunk route.

Could my right hon. Friend supply interested Members with details of what the traffic has been in the past, what the build-up is likely to be, and an analysis? I believe that his officials sometimes provide interested parties with such information. This information would be useful to people who are interested in specific aspects of this question—for instance. Members of the House.

Yes; I will arrange to have this looked at. When I said in answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Consett (Mr. David Watkins) that we were providing an additional 45 lines I should have said an additional 12 lines.

When improvements are being made in the Newcastle-upon-Tyne area and new telephone exchanges are being installed, will my right hon. Friend ensure that difficulties to subscribers in the changeover are reduced to the absolute minimum? Will he make a close investigation of this aspect?

Yes, Sir.

asked the Postmaster-General what preparations his department is making for the conversion of public telephone coin boxes to take decimal coins; what denominations the new boxes will take; and whether contracts for new coin boxes have now been placed.

asked the Postmaster-General what charge he intends to make in a telephone kiosk when sixpenny pieces cease to be minted on the introduclion of decimal currency.

All telephone coin boxes in use in 1971 will be converted to accept coins with the denominations of two and 10 new pence. Contracts have been placed for these changes but a new design of coin box will not be needed.

Can my right hon. Friend confirm or deny that suggestions are being made for the new coin boxes to take only two denominations—the new 5d. piece equivalent to 1s. and the new 10d. piece equivalent to 2s.? If the minimum charge of 1s. for a 'phone call from a public coin box is not to be the case, does this mean that telephone call boxes which at present have 6d. as minimum will be altered to take the new 2d. piece?

As I said in my original Answer, coin boxes are being designed for denominations of two and 10 new pence. We are not designing the coin boxes for five new pence. The minimum coin to be used, therefore, will be two new pence, which is equivalent to 4·8 old pence.

Is the Postmaster-General aware that as a result of the Government's defeat this morning he will be spared the necessity of choosing between two coins? In those circumstances, will he leave it as it is? If not, can he assure the House that telephone users will not get a much shorter time for the two new pence which he now proposes?

If there was a temporary defeat, it will soon be put right.

Does not my right hon. Friend think that the discrepancy between 4·8 old pence and 2s. is rather large for telephone calls? Has he taken note of the statement this week by the Secretary of the Decimal Currency Board on telephone charges?

Yes, Sir. I think that my hon. Friend is misunderstanding the position. Coin boxes will have a slot for two new pence and a slot for 10 new pence. The minimum coin to be used will be two new pence which is equivalent to 4·8 old pence, which is less than the minimum of 6d. which is now in use.

What will the cost of the conversion be?

I have not a detailed answer on that, but I will arrange to obtain the information.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will make a statement on the discussions he has had with interested parties concerning the connection of privately-owned equipment to the Post Office system.

Discussions are not yet complete.

I realise that my Question may be somewhat premature. May I ask the Postmaster-General, however, whether the aim of these discussions is to investigate the desirability of allowing a wider range of efficient privately-owned equipment to be connected to the public system?

Before the discussions are concluded it would be a mistake to anticipate the decisions which we will arrive at.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will introduce a system of concessionary telephone charges for retirement pensioners; and if he will make a statement.

No, Sir. Much as I sympathise with the problems of retirement pensioners and others of limited means concessionary rates by the Post Office are not an appropriate answer to the problem.

Is the Postmaster-General aware that many persons on retiring require to give up telephones because their small pension together with their retirement pension renders them ineligible for social security assistance? As telephones are essential, will the right hon. Gentleman reconsider this matter, because a telephone enables old folks to counter the effects of fear and loneliness which unfortunately are the companions of these senior citizens?

I appreciate the importance of this Question and the sincerity with which the supplementary question is put. If we were to arrange a concession on this provision, other Post Office users would have to pay for it. The Supplementary Benefits Commission of the Department of Health and Social Security is prepared to give financial assistance for a phone installation where it is essential.

Will the Postmaster-General enter into discussion with the Department of Health and Social Security to see whether the bills of old-age pensioners up to a certain level could rank for supplementary pension over and above what they are receiving at the moment?

I will discuss this matter with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.

Is not my right hon. Friend being thoroughly inconsistent about this when he repeatedly says that he is not in favour of concessions being given to one section of the population because other sections would have to pay for them? Is it within my right hon. Friend's recollection that he supported concessionary fares for old-age pensioners?

I do not think that this is exactly the same parallel. The connection charge for a phone is about £150 on average, and it would be extremely expensive if we were to give a carte blanche guarantee that every old age pensioner in the country would have a phone connected. It would be a very great burden on all the other users.

asked the Postmaster-General what steps he is taking to reduce the congestion of telephone lines between London and Scotland during the normal working day.

Additional equipment is being installed in the trunk exchanges in Edinburgh and Glasgow. The congestion is in these exchanges rather than on telephone lines between London and Scotland.

Does the Postmaster-General realise that the present congestion is intolerable and is causing serious inconvenience to business? Can he give an estimate of the number of subscribers during one day who are linked to a voice saying, "The lines to Glasgow are engaged. Please try later"?

I cannot say offhand. What I can tell the hon. Gentleman is that the extension at Edinburgh should have been completed in March, 1968, and the one at Glasgow in June, 1968. The contractor was unable to complete his programme by the due date, so unfortunately we have not been able to bring the equipment into use earlier.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the present waiting list for telephones in Glasgow; and what were the comparable figures on the same date in each of the previous three years.

At 31st January, 1969—2,372. On the same date in the three previous years the list was 17, 891 and 604, respectively.

Can the Postmaster-General give a reason for the increase, bearing in mind the substantial number of people who are having their telephones disconnected because of the increased charges?

The reason for the increase in the waiting list in Glasgow is that under this Administration standards are rising enormously in Scotland and there is, therefore, a growing demand for the telephone, which we are very glad to see. Out of the 2,372 to which I referred, nearly 2,000 will have telephones connected within the next two months. This is a very good result.

asked the Postmaster-General (1) if he will issue instructions to stop the Dial-a-Disc service in rural areas;

No, Sir. Dial-a-Disc service is only provided where I am satisfied that it will not prejudice other telephone calls. It is popular with many telephone users and the additional revenue helps to offset the loss of unremunerative services, such as rural kiosks.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that because of the popularity of the service in the country areas many cases have been reported to me of the public not being able to have access to the public telephone—often just a single booth in a rural area—between 4 p.m. and midnight in the warmer months?

This has been brought to my attention by the Derbyshire Association of Parish Councils. I have investigated it, but I do not think that the matter is as serious as has been suggested, However, I shall continue to keep the question under review.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the average delay in providing additional telephone connections in the Winchester Exchange; and how this compares with the average throughout the country.

Thirty per cent. of all requests for telephones in Winchester are at present met on demand. For the rest there is an average delay of 7½ months. The comparable national figures are 86 per cent. on demand and an average delay of six months for those on the waiting list.

Will the right hon. Gentleman put more effort into providing more telephones promptly and less into advertising to try to persuade the public to use facilities that they cannot obtain?

There are only 611 people on the waiting list in Winchester, and as soon as the extensions to the Winchester Exchange are completed they will have connections. The extensions are being delayed because the industry could not provide the equipment required.

asked the Postmaster-General how many existing telephone subscribers in County Down are being required to surrender existing telephone lines in order to be put on shared lines.

One hundred and seven.

A month ago I wrote to the right hon. Gentleman about a person in Bangor who had been a subscriber for a number of years and had received a letter threatening that he would be cut off from the telephone service unless he agreed to share a party line. Does not the right thon. Gentleman agree that that is scandalous conduct? What steps will will he take to see that it does not occur again?

I well remember the case, which I considered very carefully. But to ensure that as many of our potential subscribers as possible are linked to the system, we have to insist on shared lines.

asked the Postmaster-General how many applications have been made for connection to the telephone system in County Down during the past 12 months.

A total of 6,581.

How many of these applicants have already been connected to the service? What will be the waiting period for those who have not yet been connected?

There are 390 waiting for connection. I hope that they will be cleared very soon.

What progress is being made with the technical possibilities of providing shared lines without either subscriber interfering with the other?

Investigations are still continuing.

asked the Postmaster-General why his Department advertised the fact that there are yellow pages in a telephone book; how many of the cards with this advertisement have been printed; and at what cost to public funds.

A total of 145,000 leaflets costing £3,500 are being distributed to tell our customers how the new classified yellow pages can help them make the best use of their telephones.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that people resent having their attention drawn to the fact that there are yellow pages in a telephone book when they can clearly see that there are, and do not particularly want to be advised how to find a Turkish bath or a detective agency, especially when in my constituency, under the heading "Political Organisations" in the yellow pages, there is no reference to the Wellingborough Conservative Association or the Labour Party?

I apologise for that very sad omission and will see that it is put right. But the yellow pages are a very important improvement in the publicity in which we are engaging on the use of the phone. They will ensure that the system's use is improved and thus its efficiency.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is satisfied with the cooperation between local authorities and his Department in the planning and construction of new housing projects; and if he will make a statement.

Yes, Sir. Co-operation with all types of authorities is good. Through a variety of means we draw attention to the need for early consultation with us on new projects.

Is not my right hon. Friend aware that on the Cantril Farm Estate in the City of Liverpool subscribers who moved into new homes less than three years ago have been asked to share party lines? This is in new areas, and in certain areas the planning is not as good as it should be or as it might be.

I am aware of the Cantril Farm Estate and that a large number of phone connections have been arranged on that estate. Generally in the interests of providing the widest possible number of connections we have to arrange a shared service.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will ensure that there are adequate supplies of all Post Office forms in the Cheltenham area, including driving licence application forms and premium bond application forms.

I regret the inconvenience caused by a shortage of supplies of these two forms. Sufficient forms are now available.

Will the Postmaster-General ensure that in future when there is a shortage of these forms the public-spirited in Cheltenham will not be penalised?

I will do my best to do that.

asked the Postmaster-General what was the exact cost incurred by the Post Office as a result of the trike by Post Office workers on Thursday, 30th January; and if he will indicate how this figure is arrived at.

The cost of the one-day strike cannot be separately identified.

Is it not clear that the dispute was badly handled and resulted in a great deal of inconvenience and expense to the public? Will the right hon. Gentleman settle one point? Did he make clear to Lord Shackleton and other Ministers that the Government's original proposals would result in a decrease in the take-home pay of the overseas telegraph operators?

That is a wide supplementary question, very much wider than the original Question, and I do not intend to be drawn on it.

In the light of my right hon. Friend's first reply, if he now says that the figure cannot be given, can he explain why I was told that it cost £2 million?

My hon. Friend's Question on 13th February asked me to give an exact figure for the all-inclusive cost to the Post Office of the recent strike, not just the one-day strike. I gave him a minimum estimate, not an exact figure, of £2 million, and I adhere to that. It was for the whole dispute, not for the one-day strike.

asked the Postmaster-General what was the total overtime worked by postal workers in December, 1968, and January, 1969,- compared with December, 1967, and January, 1968; and how the total volume of mail compares in this period.

Total overtime in December, 1968, and January, 1969, was 10·8 million hours compared to 121 million hours during the same period a year earlier—a reduction of 10·7 per cent. The volume of mail posted during the same period fell by 6·7 per cent.

The trend of those figures, in line with the Postmaster-General's estimate on 23rd January last, is to be welcomed, but may we have additional information on how the right hon. Gentleman expects the figures to go over the next few months?

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his remark, but I cannot give an exact figure. We are achieving fairly good results in the reduction of excessive hours, and we hope that these will be continued.

asked the Postmaster-General what will be the effect of the postal strike and the decline in the use of the postal services on the profita- bility of the General Post Office in the financial year 1968–69.

The strike cost at least £2 million. I estimate the drop in traffic overall against last year at 1 per cent., which means a reduction of net income of at least £3 million on a total postal income of £380 million. The total effect will, therefore, be between £5 million and £6 million.

Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that the Answer he has given shows that the profits of the postal side and the telephone service will come under increasing pressure in 1969 and 1970, and could he give an undertaking, therefore, that profitability will be restored not by increasing charges to the public but by savings in operating costs?

We are doing our best to reduce costs all the time, and efficiency is being improved. For example, we have a new programme of development which will decrease manpower costs. In answer to another Question, I have a statement to make about increased charges in the next financial year.

asked the Postmaster-General what progress he is making in improving the efficiency of the second-class letter post.

Ninety-four per cent. of second-class mail is being delivered by two days after posting. This is well above target.

There is still a large volume of protest in the country at the inefficiency of the system. Is not the Postmaster-General thoroughly dissatisfied about the feeling in the country that the postal service has "gone to the dogs" over the past year?

In this respect, Westmorland is well behind the rest of the country because of the mileages involved, but more and more people are appreciating the efficiency of the postal service, and two-tier in particular, because we are demonstrating that about 94 per cent. of second-class mail—the subject of the Question—can be delivered within two days and many of it on the day after posting. This is a very good result. It is about time that certain hon. Members opposite stopped slamming the postal service, which is the best in the world.

Is not my right hon. Friend astonished at the attitude of hon. Members opposite on this question? Can he bring them to understand once and for all that the second-class service means delivery on the second day after posting, or even the first day, and not the next day delivery which is the 5d. first-class service?

Yes; we have made clear that, if the poster gives priority by putting a first-class stamp on the envelope, we do our best to deliver the next day, and we are achieving that with approximately 95 per cent. of all such mail received into our hands. We give less priority to second-class mail, which means that 94 per cent. of it is delivered by the day following the delivery day of first-class mail. This is an extremely good arrangement which enables the customer to give the priority which he chooses.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that his counterpart in another place said that it is not so much a question of the Post Office improving the system as of the users using it properly? What did his counterpart mean by that?

We are experiencing a very intelligent use of the system. The proportion of first-class mail is working out much as we expected because the public are making intelligent use of the service.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will state the periods in which special postmarks have, with his permission, been used with slogans indicating the attractions of the Isle of Sheppey for holiday, residential and industrial purposes.

These postmark slogans were used at Sheerness from August, 1963 to August, 1968, and they are being used at Ilford and Barking throughout 1969.

Will my right hon. Friend accept that his highly satisfactory reply shows how absurd was the claim made in another place by a former chairman of Essex County Council that this slogan was being used as part of the campaign to keep the third London Airport away from the Isle of Sheppey, especially as the slogan was in use for five years before the Commission of Inquiry into the third London Airport was announced?

I am grateful for what my hon. Friend has said, and I congratulate him on his ingenuity in bringing out a lot of other things.

Does the right hon. Gentleman think that the last few weeks gave the best moment to have a stamp about the QE2?

Yes, I think that it was. This is another question, but it was important to have the series of ship stamps coming out when they did.

asked the Postmaster-General when he expects to lay before the House of Commons the Post Office Report and Accounts for the year 1968–69.

As soon as possible before December, 1969.

If the right hon. Gentleman happens to be responsible for the Post Office when these Accounts are ready, could he table them for discussion in the House? Hon. Members have never discussed them in the history of the Post Office, and this is the only occasion on which the House could discuss the Accounts and accountability of the Post Office.

I will consider that suggestion. I want to bring the Accounts to the House as soon as I can.

asked the Postmaster-General what action he proposes to take to improve the delivery of telegrams.

The delivery of telegrams is generally satisfactory.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that telegrams to patients on the waiting list for beds at some London hospitals are being delayed for 24 hours or more, and are being misdirected? This means that a patient, who may have been on the waiting list for many months—some of them have been waiting for a year or more—does not come in for the bed. It then goes to another patient, so that he misses his place in the queue. This is very serious.

I should like to have examples brought to my attention. My information on the average performance is that telegrams are delivered within the hour if delivered by hand, and within half an hour if delivered by telephone. This is a very good performance. If there are cases where we are falling short, I should very much like to know of them.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the total expenditure by his Department on research and development projects within the United Kingdom; and what part of this sum is spent on research and development within Wales.

Current expenditure this year on research and development is about £9 million. Of this, about £100,000 per annum is spent in Wales and Monmouthshire.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that there is great discontent about this proportion in Wales, because the range of jobs open to certain skills in research and development appears not to be available to young people in Wales?

I shall bear that in mind, but the House must remember that the Post Office has a responsibility to conduct its affairs efficiently, and the concentration of research and development is one way to secure that it is done efficiently.

asked the Postmaster-General what representations he has received on the possibility of raising funds for relief projects at home and abroad by the sale of postage stamps; what replies he has sent; and whether he will make a statement.

During 1968 I received 13 such proposals but I have no authority to implement them.

Will my right hon. Friend at least agree to enter into discussions with leading charitable organisations about the possibility of such schemes, which work very well in other European countries?

We shall consider any sensible suggestion put to us, but a new Bill would have to be passed by the House before I had authority to introduce such stamps.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that such a Bill would receive a warmer welcome from many of us than some that have been introduced?

I thank my hon. Friend for that observation.

asked the Postmaster-General what increases will be required in postage rates during 1969 resulting from the fall in revenue following the introduction of the 2-tier post.

I have none in mind

While I welcome that assurance, if it is one—and it will not be forgotten—may I ask the right hon. Gentleman to undertake that no increase in the price will be made as a result of a decline in the standard of service?

I am not proposing in any way to reduce the standard of service, of which we are rightly proud I do not think that the two-tier system has been a financial failure. What happened is that, particularly during the Christmas period, traffic dropped rather more than we expected. I hope that we can make this up before the end of the year.

Can the right hon. Gentleman given an assurance that there will be no general increase in Post Office charges before the General Election?

What I have been asked and what I have said is that there will be no increase in postage rates during the next financial year.

asked the Postmaster-General how many representations his department has received about the slow delivery of letters with a 4d. stamp; and what reply he has made.

Some thousands over five months, but few in relation to 23 million second-class letters delivered daily—94 per cent. of them within two days of posting. The reply to each complaint depends on our findings.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that, during the past six months, I have received more complaints about slow delivery of mail than in the previous 10 years?

There has been a lot of publicity about slow delivery but we are achieving extremely good results. I think that the vast majority of people understand and appreciate that our postal service is achieving better results than any other Post Office administration in the world.

asked the Postmaster-General what time scale he has laid down for the extension of colour television to all television channels and to all parts of Great Britain; for how many hours colour television is to be available on each of the channels in 1970, 1971, and 1972; if, in view of the increasing numbers of shift workers and the tendency for people to keep later hours, he will in the near future allow 24-hour radio and television; and if he will make a statement.

Colour television will be extended to B.B.C.1 and I.T.A. within the next 12 months on 625 lines. It will be available to 50 per cent. of the population initially, rising to 75 per cent. by the end of 1971.

In view of the increasing nocturnal habits of the population, in both work and play, is not there a need for an urgent move towards something approaching 24-hour radio and television? Does not my right hon. Friend accept that the recent suggestion of some contraction in the radio service is intolerable?

There is another Question on the radio service. On T.V. viewing hours I have expressed the thought that there are very substantial arguments for the extension of hours and the whole question is now under active consideration.

Does the Postmaster-General recall that this is exactly what he said in Manchester on 16th December and that on that occasion he said that it was cost alone that prevented these extra hours? As I.T.V. is willing to give more hours at no cost to the public and with monetary gain to the Government, can he tell us now what he meant?

The hon. Gentleman is speaking with great experience as a director of Granada. I must tell him, however, that there is no question of there being no cost to the public in commercial T.V. The public has to pay through the cost of the adverts. I ask the hon. Gentleman to bear that in mind. There is a case for considering the extension of viewing hours, and I am now considering it.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will seek powers to allocate the television rights of international sporting events to the British Broadcasting Corporation and the Independent Television Authority.

No, Sir.

What will be the position of the B.B.C. in the televising of the World Cup series? In particular, will it be possible for B.B.C. black-and-white television and colour television to carry this feature?

There is a pretty hot dispute building up about this, and I do not think that I should be drawn into it.

Does the Postmaster-General realise that what the British public want is to be able to see the World Cup series on one channel, and it does not help them greatly to know that they can see it on two channels if they have only one set?

There is a great deal in that.

asked the Postmaster General how many hours weekly the British Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts in Arabic, Hebrew and Welsh.

Arabic, 70 hours in the External Services; Hebrew nil, Welsh 19 hours in the Home Service.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the first duty of the B.B.C. is to use languages spoken in the countries of the United Kingdom? There is great resentment in Wales that the Government spend so much money subsidising services in foreign languages, at a time when the ancient language of the Welsh nation gets such a raw deal on the mass media.

The hon. Gentleman is making a very narrow political point. The External Services are designed for British external relations, and should not be confused with the Home Service. The number of Welsh hours, at 19, is a very fair proportion.

Given the object of improving external relations through the B.B.C.'s external services, is not it rather surprising that the Hebrew service, which was most successful, has been closed down? Has the right hon. Gentleman anything to say about that?

I will draw the question to the attention of those concerned.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will make a statement about the British Broadcasting Corporation's plans for reorganising the location of transmitters and, in particular, the effect of this reorganisation on regional programmes and Radio 3.

asked the Postmaster-General what proposals he has received from the British Broadcasting Corporation regarding the curtailment of regional broadcasting stations; and if he will decline to give his consent to the closure of such stations, especially those in the south-west region of England.

No such proposals or plans have been made to me. It is a matter for the B.B.C. whether it should review its regional and national programme activities.

Does my right hon. Friend appreciate that there is very serious concern about persistent reports that Radio 3, the Third Programme and music programme, is likely to be curtailed or closed down? In view of its immense value to many people throughout the country and its high international reputation, will he confirm that there is no intention to curtail or close the programme?

I cannot say that, because I understand that the B.B.C. is conducting a review of its efficiency and is not yet in a position to make an announcement of the result. I am sure that it will bear in mind the observations made in the House.

Would it not be far more sensible if the B.B.C, instead of closing down or curtailing things, such as Radio 3 or regional programmes, were to stop doing things, such as municipal radio, which could be much better done by other people?

The trouble with municipal radio proposals is that municipal authorities promoting them want to pay for them by advertising, and I think that this would introduce a reprehensible feature into broadcasting in this country.

There is great concern in the regions about the rumours that regional services are to go or to be reduced. At a time when we are trying to decentralise many activities, is it not illogical that such suggestions should be put forward?

I am sure that the B.B.C. will pay close attention to the observations made in the House.

asked the Postmaster-General what steps he has taken to speed up the reception of B.B.C.2 and colour television in Devon.

The extension of these services is primarily a matter for the B.B.C. The overall plan for B.B.C.2, including three main stations to serve Devon, is going ahead as fast as possible.

Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that Devon will be the last large area in the country to receive B.B.C.2 and colour television? Is he aware that most of my constituents object strongly to having to pay the same licence fee for a much depleted service?

I do not agree. The plan is for Caradon Hill to start in spring, 1969, and two more stations are due, one in late 1971 and the other, including Torquay, in 1973.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is satisfied with the efficiency of the telephone service available in Bristol, as compared with other large cities; and if he will make a statement.

The operator service in Bristol compares favourably with that in other large provincial cities but the automatic telephone service showed signs of worsening during the last few months of 1968. When our checks indicated this trend, special measures were initiated and an improvement is already apparent.

Will my right hon. Friend make the facts and details available? This is in no way a criticism but at least we should like to know how the service compares at any given time in cases like misdialling percentages, the frequency of overloaded lines, and so forth, so that we could make a realistic assessment?

The results achieved so far are good. At the moment, the success rate for local calls is 97 per cent. and it is 89 per cent. for S.T.D. calls. That is a good achievement.

asked the Postmaster-General what representations he has received regarding separate licences for communal aerials; and what reply he has given.

From the Association of Municipal Corporations and the Rural District Councils' Association. I have undertaken to consult with them.

I thank my right hon. Friend for indicating that he is prepared to consult them, but, before he carries out these consultations, will he bear in mind that there are serious objections in the country? Could he have the cause of the objections worked out in such a way that, when he meets the authorities, he may have some proposals to resolve the extent of the objections which hon. Members have been receiving?

I will consider that very helpful suggestion.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will make a statement giving particulars of the results of his campaign against television licence evasion, giving figures of prosecutions and increased revenue as a result of this campaign up until the latest convenient stated date.

Since January, 1967, evaders have been reduced by over three-quarters of a million. The increase in revenue from this has been about £8 million during the ensuing two-year period. In the year ending 31st March, 1968, there were 28,790 prosecutions.

I congratulate my right hon. Friend on these excellent figures. Will he have a word with the Minister of Transport so that he, too, can draw in a few more hundreds of millions of £s by copying his example in cutting down the number of road tax evaders?

I thank my hon. Friend for his observations.