HC Deb 22 July 1953 vol 518 cc355-6
21. Miss Pitt

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he will now restore the full pre-war facilities on personal calls.

Mr. Gammans

My noble Friend is looking into this.

Miss Pitt

Does my hon. Friend mean by that that he is prepared to consider trying to restore the full pre-war facilities under which, during the whole of the 24 hours, attempts were made to make personal contact with callers? Failing that, does he at least contemplate some improvement on the present most limited facilities where only two attempts to establish personal contacts are, in fact, made?

Mr. Gammans

That is so. The whole idea of this investigation is to see whether we cannot restore the pre-war facilities, if not wholly, at any rate in part.

Sir H. Williams

Will my hon. Friend, instead of restoring the pre-war facilities, consider imitating what private enterprise does in the United States with regard to personal contacts?

Mr. W. R. Williams

Will the Minister reply to his hon. Friend that telephonic and telegraphic facilities in this country are infinitely superior to those operating in the United States, because he is perfectly ignorant of the matter?

Mr. Gammans

What my hon. Friend meant was whether or not it would be preferable to adopt the American system with regard to personal calls rather than the system we had before the war.