§ 25. Mr. Henry Brookeasked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that, although the accidental omission of a subscriber's name from the telephone directory must cause 12 months' inconvenience to a private person and financial loss to a business firm, the telephone regulations deprive the subscriber of any claim against his Department in respect of the error; and whether he will amend these regulations so as to ensure that telephone subscribers who suffer through his Department's mistake are not debarred from establishing a claim for redress.
§ Mr. Ness EdwardsWe cannot agree to pay compensation in these very rare cases but every effort is made to minimise their effect, e.g., by distributing the subscriber's correction notices at Post Office cost, and by specially recording his number at directory inquiry bureaux.
§ Mr. BrookeDoes the right hon. Gentleman really think that the Government are justified in obliging members of the public to sign away their rights in matters like this before connecting them with the telephone service?
§ Mr. Ness EdwardsThe directory is published conditionally. This condition is on the front of the directory and it is on the agreement. We do all that we can to see that the issue is correct, and it is very rare that there is an omission.
§ 26. Mr. Keelingasked the Postmaster-General what is the weight of the telephone directories annually distributed; and what is the weight of the old ones annually collected by his Department and sold for re-manufacture as paper.
§ Mr. Ness EdwardsAbout 10,000 tons. About 80 per cent. of old directories are recovered by the Post Office. The remainder largely go into local salvage.
§ Mr. KeelingAs the Post Office does not collect many old directories, including my own and those of other hon. Members, and as many local authorities do not collect waste paper at all, is the Postmaster-General doing anything to reduce the substantial gap between the two figures?
§ Mr. Ness EdwardsI have said that we collect 80 per cent. of the old directories—
§ Mr. KeelingBut two thousand tons not collected.
§ Mr. Ness EdwardsWe collect 80 per cent. of 10,000 tons. We cannot compel everybody to give up their old directories. We would not take steps to get everybody to give up their old directories. Many subscribers want to retain them and they are allowed to do so. In areas where there is no collection of salvage we insist upon collection as far as we can, but where we are informed that the local authorities collect salvage we do not take this action.