§ 3. Mr. Gwilym Robertsasked the Postmaster-General if, in view of the considerable telephone waiting lists and the long delays in some areas, he will allow prospective subscribers who were on these lists before 10th April, 1968, to have their telephones connected up at the old price of £10 and not the new price of £20.
§ The Postmaster-General (Mr. Roy Mason)No, Sir. Connection charges have been increased, as recommended by the National Board for Prices and Incomes, to reflect the cost of connecting new lines, and I cannot supply them below cost. The prices quoted by my hon. Friend are maxima; actual charges vary according to the amount of new work which has to be done.
§ Mr. RobertsIs my hon. Friend aware that nearly 3,000 people in the southern half of Bedfordshire are in this position? Would he accept that the Post Office is placing itself in the position of a shopkeeper who says about advertised goods, " I have not got them at the moment, but you can have them in six months' or a year's time, of course at double the price "?
§ Mr. MasonI am sorry that in my hon. Friend's constituency there is a delay, and this is regrettable. In view of the fact that the previous Administration never thought of the explosive demand that there would be for telephones, sufficient orders were not placed for telephone exchange equipment.
§ Sir W. Bromley-DavenportAre not the answers to these three questions yet another proof of a failure of the nationalised industries, which give worse service at increased cost?
§ Mr. MasonThe hon. and gallant Gentleman is quite incorrect. He should have recognised that, when the Post Office was examined by the National Board for Prices and Incomes, it came out of the examination extremely well and was praised for its productivity and efficiency.