§ 31. Mr. Hydeasked the Postmaster-General how many telephone service subscribers there are at present in Northern Ireland; how many of these use shared lines; how many outstanding applications there are for the service; and when he expects that these will be met.
§ Mr. K. ThompsonThere are nearly 70,000 subscribers, of whom some 18,000 are sharing. We are providing additional plant and expect to connect about 7,000 new subscribers this year. At present, 5,100 applications are outstanding, but I cannot say when all these will be met, as this depends on the availability of cables and exchange equipment.
§ Mr. HydeIn view of the fact that the people of Northern Ireland are becoming increasingly telephone-conscious, has my hon. Friend considered whether it is not technically possible for more than two subscribers to share a party line and thereby reduce the current waiting?
§ Mr. ThompsonI will have the proposal contained in that supplementary question examined. I am not sure that it would be altogether as popular as my hon. Friend appears to think to have party lines shared by more than two people.