§ 7. Mr. Milneasked the Postmaster- General what was the number of new telephones installed in the Blyth constituency during 1960, 1961, 1962, and at the nearest available date in 1963; how many remain on the waiting list; and what is the approximate waiting time for those on the list.
§ Mr. MawbyIn 1960, 305; in 1961, 318; in 1962, 319; in the first half of 1963, 173.
Sixteen orders for telephones are on the waiting list and a further 80 are under inquiry or being met. The composition of the waiting list is constantly changing, and I am sorry that I cannot give a reliable average waiting tune.
§ Mr. MilneI am grateful to the Assistant Postmaster-General for that reply and for the improvement which has been shown in the installation period over the past two or three years. Will he now make it known to my constituents that it is easier to have an installation now than it was two or three years ago, in order that many who were prevented then from making application can now be encouraged to do so?
§ Mr. MawbyI hope that this Question and Answer will be fully ventilated in the proper place in the hon. Gentleman's constituency. It will show his constituents that we are making a great deal of progress, and that the waiting list in the area at the moment represents a lower percentage than the national average.