§ 5. Mr. John E. Haireasked the Postmaster-General how many telephones for which a rental is paid are not in actual use; how many telephone subscribers there are who, for calls made, pay less than £1, £3, £5 per annum, respectively; and whether any better use of existing installations can be made.
§ Mr. Wilfred PalingI regret that the information asked for is not readily available. Experience, however, shows that the payment made for calls from a particular telephone is not a reliable measure of the usefulness of the telephone. Many lines are heavily used for incoming calls.
§ Mr. HaireWhile appreciating the point which my right hon. Friend makes about incoming calls, may I ask whether some of these installations could be called in, after due notice, of course, and used by the half million applicants who have been waiting a long time? Is it not a 334 fact that some of these telephones are completely forgotten?
§ Mr. PalingIf we attempt to do that I can see a lot of difficulties arising.