§ 7. Mr. C. Hughesasked the Assistant Postmaster-General the number of applicants now waiting for telephones in Anglesey and, of these, how many have been waiting for over three years.
§ Mr. GammansThree hundred and seventy-six applications are outstanding, excluding 102 in the course of being met or under inquiry. Seventy-seven have been waiting more than three years. Nearly 400 lines have been connected in Anglesey in the past 12 months.
§ Mr. HughesIs the Minister aware that the position is very unsatisfactory, and that his officials are saying that telephones cannot be installed in many areas of Anglesey for a considerable time because of the lack of suitable cable? Can he say whether this is due to a general shortage of cable in the country or to a lack of capital investment?
§ Mr. GammansIt is probably due to the fact that Anglesey is a very scattered county and, therefore, that it costs far more in labour and in money to install a telephone in that part of Wales. I would remind the hon. Gentleman that the position is now 141 better than it was when he last asked me about it.