§ 29. Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications whether he is aware that the gas 23 and electricity companies supply customers with a meter which registers the amount of gas and electricity consumed, upon which bills are issued; and whether, as most telephone subscribers dispute the correctness of their charges as there has been overcharging on the part of the Post Office, he will issue a general direction to the Post Office to install meters in subscribers' homes upon which telephone charges can be based.
§ Mr. ChatawayThis is a matter between the Post Office and its users, on whom the cost of providing meters would fall. I see no reason, therefore, to intervene.
§ Mr. LewisIs the Minister aware—and I am sure that he is, because I have sent him letters from his own constituents proving it—that people are being charged for calls which they do not make, and that even where a person pays for a meter the telephone people will not accept the meter as a correct record that they have overcharged? If the Post Office will not do something about it, surely the Minister will.
§ Mr. ChatawayAs the hon. Gentleman says, the subscriber can, if he wishes, have a meter—
§ Mr. Chataway—and I will certainly pass on to the Post Office his suggestion that this should be used as evidence.
Mr. Selwyn GlimmerWill not my right hon. Friend agree that there is widespread feeling over the fact that the Post Office will not accept the evidence of a meter paid for by the subscriber? Would he not further agree that many subscribers feel that, while computers make messes of other bills, computers should not be allowed to make messes of Post Office bills because subscribers have no redress? Will he look into the matter, and see whether some redress cannot be made by the Post Office?
§ Mr. ChatawayThere is certainly anxiety on this score, but I have no evidence at all that the Post Office is refusing to accept the evidence of its own meters in cases of dispute.