HC Deb 25 April 1968 vol 763 cc452-3
2. Mr. Stratton Mills

asked the Postmaster General what proposals he has to publicise the range of services and equipment provided by the Post Office telephone service.

The Postmaster-General (Mr. Roy Mason)

A comprehensive information booklet will be delivered to new residential STD subscribers from May onwards, and full publicity will be given in Telephone Directories commencing in the summer. Further descriptive leaflets will be added to the 59 already available, of which over one million were distributed last year. Press advertising will be extended.

Mr. Mills

Does the right hon. Gentleman recognise that the Prices and Incomes Board's Report seriously criticised the Post Office on this matter? Will he confirm that the announcement that he has made amounts to a major sales drive to publicise the equipment and services which the Post Office telephone service can at present offer?

Mr. Mason

It is true that the Prices and Incomes Board criticised the Post Office for not doing enough on advertising. But, in fairness to the Post Office, plans for increased promotional activity were in hand and some of these I have announced today.

Mr. Ednyfed Hudson Davies

Concerning publicity, is my right hon. Friend aware of the very favourable response given by the public to the telephone exchanges "Open Fortnight"? I refer particularly to Conway. Will he take steps to make other aspects of Post Office work visible to the public In a similar way?

Mr. Mason

I am obliged to my hon. Friend for those remarks. It is true that under previous administrations not enough advertising was done, but this was dui to a limitation of capital expenditure. It is our intention to advertise much more positively in future.

Mr. Bryan

Will the right hon. Gentleman confirm or deny the almost unbelievable statement in paragraph 46 of the Report of the Prices and Incomes Board that the telephone sales manager's telephone number is not even in the directory?

Mr. Mason

The telephone sales manager's telephone number is the same as the telephone manager's. I have already looked into this, because it is farcical. I thought that if we wanted to sell, and sell positively, the telephone sales manager's telephone number should be different and should be differently portrayed in the directory.