§ 28. Mr. Crouchasked the Assistant Postmaster-General the number of telephones which have been installed each year since 1st November, 1951; the number outstanding at that date; the number outstanding at the latest available date; and when he proposes to start advertising the advantages of having the telephone.
§ Mr. GammansNearly 1¼ million new subscribers have been connected since 1st November, 1951, and the figures for each year have risen as follows:
The number of outstanding applications has been reduced from about 495,000 to 360,000.
1952 … … … 315,000 1953 … … … 368,000 1954 … … … 405,000 The advantages of having a telephone seems to be well appreciated by the public because the number of new orders is breaking all records and is now running at about double the pre-war rate.
§ Mr. CrouchIs my hon. Friend aware that the first part of his answer will be 143 received with great satisfaction in the country, and is this not a demonstration of what can be achieved when businesslike methods are used by the Government of the day? Secondly, can my hon. Friend say whether the increased number of applications for telephones is due to the increased prosperity in the country and whether these applications are coming from a wider section of society than was the case before the war?
§ Mr. GammansI think the large number of new applications is a fair indication of the prosperity of the country, and I am glad to say that the type of people applying for telephones is now more widely diversified than before.
§ Mr. C. HughesIs the Minister aware that there is a considerable delay in the fixing of telephones in North Wales because of the alleged shortage of cable? Can the hon. Gentleman say what steps are being taken to increase the supply of cable?
§ Mr. GammansIf the hon. Gentleman wants information about a particular place perhaps he will put a Question on the Order Paper and I will give him a fuller answer than I can give now in reply to a supplementary question.