§ 24. Mr. Snowasked the Postmaster-General what notice was given to the companies establishing factories at Rugeley under overspill plan arrangements, that they would not be included within the Birmingham cheap telephone call area.
§ Mr. BevinsNone, Sir. There has been no recent change in the charge for calls between Rugeley and. Birmingham.
§ Mr. SnowWill the right hon. Gentleman direct his attention to the apparent lack of consultation between his Department and the overspill "decanting" authorities of the Government-sponsored overspill plan, since these firms are now at a disadvantage as regards their telephone calls, are threatened with increased charges and, in any event, having been forced to move, have found great difficulty in getting lines at all?
§ Mr. BevinsAs the hon. Gentleman knows better than I do, Rugeley is about 20 miles from Birmingham and calls between the two places have always been charged at the rate of 1s. for three minutes during the day. The question of giving notice to a firm moving out about telephone charges is hardly a matter for me, but I am willing to discuss this with my right hon. Friends the President of the Board of Trade and the Minister of Housing and Local Government. Meanwhile, we hope to have S.T.D. at Rugeley within two years, and that should help generally.
§ Mr. SnowIf that is so, then it will be contrary to everyone else's experience. I defy the right hon. Gentleman to say that S.T.D. has resulted in reduced telephone bills for most people.
§ Mr. BevinsI have no doubt that it has had the effect of reducing charges on telephone bills for business firms throughout the country.
§ Sir A. V. HarveyWill my right hon. Friend say how he proposes to "decant" overspill?
§ Mr. BevinsI think that that was the question put by the hon. Member for Lichfield and Tamworth (Mr. Snow).