Telephone Facilities (Hansard, 8 November 1972)

§ 1. Mr. Pavitt
asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications if he will give a general direction to the Post Office to seek to install amplified telephones, of the type recently installed at Gatwick at all airports, for the use of partially deaf persons.

§ The Minister of Posts and Telecommunications (Sir John Eden)
No, Sir. Ways of helping the hard-of-hearing are being examined by the Post Office, which will be writing to the hon. Member.

§ Mr. Pavitt
Will the Minister not intervene a little in this matter? There are half a million hard-of-hearing people who are very distressed when they get to an airport and cannot communicate. A transistorised telephone is very easy to install. Therefore, in spite of the fact that I am being communicated with, will the hon. Gentleman add his pressure to mine to enable this to be done not only at airports but at railway terminals?

§ Sir J. Eden
The hon. Gentleman's active interest in this important question is well appreciated by the Post Office, as well as by everyone else. It is developing a new type of plug-in system. The purpose of the Post Office's writing to the hon. Gentleman is to invite him to a demonstration. I hope that he will be satisfied with the outcome.

§ 15. Mr. Kinnock
asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications if he will give a general direction to the Post Office to improve telephone facilities for new industries in development areas.

§ Sir J. Eden
No, Sir. This is a matter for the Post Office, which is well aware of the need to continue to give a high priority to development areas.

§ Mr. Kinnock
Would the Minister mind if I disagreed with him? The business of providing adequate telephone services in regions which depend on new industries should be a part of the Government's general strategy in bringing new industries to the development areas. 977 Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that without telephones these industries are next to useless? Would he, therefore, seek means of bringing the consciousness of his Government to bear on the Post Office, because it is not providing enough telephones sufficiently quickly?

§ Sir J. Eden
The hon. Member's reference to the Post Office is not justified. I know that it is very much alive to the needs of development areas, and it is doing its level best to meet those needs.

§ Mr. Money
Will my right hon. Friend stress to the Post Office that it is not only in the development areas as such but also in other areas that the needs of new industries have to be met, and that a particular problem exists in East Anglia, with the need for provision of a Continental STD service for the area of the Haven ports?

§ Sir J. Eden
I take what my hon. Friend has said. I shall have an opportunity to consider some of these matters during the course of the forthcoming legislation.

§ Mr. Ewing
Will the right hon. Gentleman consider another aspect of this problem and approach his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry with a view to ensuring the maximum co-operation between that Department and the Post Office, so that industry moving into development areas makes its requirements known in good time? Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that in the case of North Sea oil there were serious difficulties because industries arriving in that area did not make their requirements known?

§ Sir J. Eden
I am aware of the last point. Certainly in the light of these exchanges I will look again at this matter to see whether there is any way in which I can, in discussion with the Post Office, assist with what the hon. Member has in mind.