HC Deb 28 March 1946 vol 421 cc579-80
76. Air-Commodore Harvey

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many new telephones have been installed at Macclesfield and Congleton since 1st June, 1945; and how many applicants are on the waiting list.

The Assistant Postmaster-General (Mr. Burke)

In the Macclesfield area (including Prestbury), by the beginning of this month, 109 telephone exchange lines with 151 telephones had been installed since 1st June, 1945; and there were 186 appli- cations for exchange lines on the waiting list. The corresponding figures for Congleton are 33, 54 and 74.

77. Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many telephones have been installed since 1st January, 1946, in the boroughs of Kingston-upon-Thames, Surbiton and Malden and Coombe, respectively; and the number of applications for installation of telephones at present outstanding in each of the three said boroughs.

Mr. Burke

The number of lines provided during January and February of this year on the Kingston, Malden, Derwent, Elmbridge and Epsom exchanges were 117, 81, 71, 102, and 46 respectively, and the number of applications for telephone service on these exchanges outstanding at the end of February were 1,002, 668, 1,210, 956, and 373 respectively.

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

Can the Assistant Postmaster-General give an assurance that he is taking steps to improve these miserable figures?

Mr. Burke

Work is beginning which will clear up some 30 per cent. of the outstanding applications. Work is also under preparation for clearing it up still further.

Sir W. Wakefield

Will the Assistant Postmaster-General speed up the installation of telephones in St. Marylebone?