HC Deb 09 May 1956 vol 552 cc1193-4
26. Mr. Hobson

asked the Postmaster-General the number of extra trunk lines, co-axial or otherwise, that have had to be installed to cope with the amount of extra traffic arising from the cheap evening call rate and between which towns over 100,000 of population.

Dr. Hill

One thousand six hundred and fifty-one new circuits.

I will, with permission, circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT the names of the towns requested.

Mr. Hobson

Is the right hon. Gentleman satisfied that there is a substantial profit arising from this capital expenditure in view of the cheap evening call rate?

Dr. Hill

It is very difficult to disentangle the finances of the cheap evening calls and trunk calls generally. Therefore, it would be misleading to give a precise estimate of the profitability or otherwise of this part of the service.

Mr. Hobson

If a Question about it were put on the Order Paper, would the right hon. Gentleman be prepared to give the House the figure for the total amount of profit arising from trunk services in this country?

Dr. Hill

I will do my best to answer any Question properly within my province which appears on the Order Paper.

Mr. Ness Edwards

Was this the reason why the right hon. Gentleman decided to increase the charges?

Dr. Hill

The right hon. Gentleman will remember the exchanges that we had about the increase in charges.

The following is a list of routes between towns of over 100,000 population at each end on which additional circuits have been provided for evening traffic:

From London to:

Aberdeen. Belfast.
Plymouth. Blackpool.
Portsmouth. Bournemouth.
Sheffield. Bristol.
Stoke-on-Trent. Cardiff.
Liverpool. Dundee.
Middlesbrough. Edinburgh.
Norwich. Brighton.
Glasgow. Reading.
Ipswich. Southend.
Leeds.

From Bristol to:

Bournemouth. Sheffield.
Leeds. Liverpool.
Newcastle. Manchester.
Nottingham. Edinburgh.
Plymouth. Glasgow.
Portsmouth. Brighton.

From Birmingham to:

Bournemouth. Plymouth.
Brighton. Portsmouth.
Edinburgh.

From Liverpool to:

Swansea. Glasgow.
Edinburgh.

From Edinburgh to:

Nottingham. Dundee.
Aberdeen.

From Leeds to:

Blackpool. Edinburgh.
Bournemouth.

Misc.:

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