§ 44. Mr. Sorensenasked the Postmaster-General to what extent breakdowns in telephone services have increased during the past year; to what extent commercial and business firms have priority over private householders for repairs; why rebates on accounts are not granted to telephone users where breakdowns continue for a week; and whether he will arrange for users suffering from telephone breakdowns for more than a day to be notified about the probable length of time before service is restored.
§ Mr. BevinsThere has been widespread damage to telephone plant in the floods and storms of recent weeks, and I regret the inconvenience caused to our customers, although I am not responsible for the weather.
Priority is given to emergency services, but otherwise repairs are carried out as quickly as possible in the order which makes the best use of our engineering resources. Customers are not entitled to an abatement of rental for service interruptions but individual cases are sympathetically considered. I am currently examining the possibilities suggested by the last part of the Question.
§ Mr. SorensenI thank the right hon. Gentleman for that reply, but may I ask him whether this practice obtains in any other part of the country? In view of his promise that he would examine the matter, could he give some encouragement to me and others that some courtesy of this kind will be extended to users?
§ Mr. BevinsAs I say, we will look at the suggestion embodied in the last phrase of the Question. As regards rebates from rentals, these are, and will 394 continue to be, considered very sympathetically.