HC Deb 20 October 1971 vol 823 cc703-4
14. Mr. Kenneth Lewis

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications what are the total number of households in the United Kingdom still on the waiting list of the Post Office for a telephone.

Mr. Chataway

According to the Post Office, 164,000.

Mr. Lewis

This is a magnificent market available to the Post Office. Will my right hon. Friend arrange that the Corporation has increased investment to enable it to take advantage of this market, since it would improve its profitability if it could do so? Does it make any sense that the Post Office should be advertising extra services such as additional telephones and the like when it cannot supply people who really want a telephone?

Mr. Chataway

The Post Office's advertising is designed principally to ensure that the telephone is more heavily used in off-peak hours. There are considerable financial advantages to the Post Office in a heavier use of that kind. My hon. Friend will know that investment is running at a much higher level than ever before and that the Post Office has done extremely well in making 10 per cent. more connections during this year than forecast.

Mr. Richard

But does not the Minister realise that with so many people waiting for the telephone it would be intolerable to discourage the market by increasing the rentals? Secondly, if there is a hold-up in the manufacture of telephone equipment, why on earth is he so doctrinaire as to insist upon maintaining the ban on the Post Office's manufacturing its own equipment? Why not lift the ban and let it get on with the job?

Mr. Chataway

I have had no request from the Post Office for permission to manufacture and I have no evidence to suggest that that would help matters in any way. The hon. and learned Gentleman will be glad to know that delivery dates have steadily improved over the past year and that the Post Office has moved about as far as it could have done to meet the greatly increased demand.