§ 64. Sir W. de FRECEasked the Postmaster-General the places or districts from which he is in receipt of complaints with respect to inconveniences resulting from delayed or inadequate telephone installations?
§ Sir W. MITCHELL-THOMSONThere are nearly 4,200 telephone exchanges in the country, and every endeavour is made to forecast future development throughout the system and to provide an adequate margin of spare plant. In a certain percentage of cases, however, demand from time to time temporarily overtakes supply, and in such instances, if considerable works, such as the provision of new internal equipment or the laying of a large cable, are involved, some delay may occur in meeting applications for telephone service. The list of areas in which there is a temporary shortage of telephone plant so fluctuates that information is not available in the precise form desired by my hon. Friend.
§ Mr. HAYESIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that in these times when there is a shortage of plant, a large number of people engaged in the telephone industry are unemployed in Liverpool?
§ Sir W. MITCHELL-THOMSONI am fully aware of that.