HC Deb 12 May 1965 vol 712 cc515-6
26. Mr. Jackson

asked the Postmaster-General if he will change the basis of his decisions concerning the siting of telephone kiosks from one of profitability to one of social needs.

Mr. Benn

The provision of telephone kiosks has never been decided by economic criteria alone. Many kiosks lose money and the overall loss amounted to £4½ million last year. I am considering ways by which real needs can be met more economically.

Mr. Jackson

Will my right hon. Friend bear in mind that if he could relax this it would create a much improved image of the Post Office in the minds of the public?

Mr. Benn

I appreciate the point made by my hon. Friend. The difficulty is that there is pressure for kiosks to be provided and, when they are provided, they are not used. Many people regard kiosks as something to be used in an emergency measure. Having taken this into account, I am considering whether emergency needs can be met in a different way in areas where there is real anxiety among people about being cut off from the outside world.

Brigadier Clarke

Does not the Postmaster-General realise that the most socially needed kiosk for whatever purpose must be the most profitable one?

Mr. Benn

It is a reflection on our policy that we should be prepared to accept a situation where we lose £4½ million which, put in another way, is a conscious subsidy of a socially necessary service by the Post Office.

Mr. George Y. Mackie

Can the right hon. Gentleman say how long he will take to make up his mind about these measures? Is he aware that I sent suggestions about the problem which is particularly serious in the Highlands, and that on some of the suggestions he could perhaps make up his mind fairly quickly?

Mr. Benn

This is a very old problem for the Post Office and every Postmaster-General has to live with it. I am trying to see whether there are new ways in which to meet the special needs. One of the difficulties, I must tell the House, is that some members of the general public systematically destroy kiosks. Very substantial sums of money are lost because people go into kiosks simply to tear the hand-set off the instrument, break the glass and steal the money. This is a serious problem which definitely affects the economy of rural and other areas.