HC Deb 22 March 1972 vol 833 cc1471-6
1. Mr. Leslie Huckfield

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications whether he will give a general direction to the Post Office to examine the possibility of providing answering service facilities for taking telephone messages in the absence of subscribers.

The Minister of Posts and Telecommunications (Mr. Christopher Chataway)

No, Sir. Certain absent subscriber services are, however, already offered by the Post Office and by private firms.

Mr. Huckfield

Did the Minister see the film "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" in which the use of an answering service featured prominently? Is he aware that several hon. Members make use of answering services, although not for the same purposes? Is he also aware that not all the private firms which offer such services are very efficient—though I have no complaints about the one that I use? Does he not feel that this is a rather profitable field of telephone activity, and that the Post Office Corporation should seriously examine whether it should extend its activities into this sector?

Mr. Chataway

I understand that the Post Office takes the view that this is a field which can adequately be served by private enterprise, and that it does not intend to move into this area of activity

Sir G. Nabarro

Would my right hon. Friend bear in mind that this is supposed to be a great reforming Government, and that a useful reform would be achieved by causing this service to be made available through G.P.O. channels? I want to see a G.P.O. service rather than a service provided by a private firm.

Mr. Chataway

I am sure that my hon. Friend's proposals for extending the public sector will be looked at by the Post Office. All I am telling the hon. House is that the Post Office has no proposals for such a service and believes that it can be done by private enterprise.

2. Mr. Duffy

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications if he will give a general direction to the Post Office to improve its international telephone services.

Mr. Chataway

No, Sir.

Mr. Duffy

Is the Minister aware that it is the experience of some who try to telephone Paris or Brussels during the business day that they have to dial forty to sixty times, and that if they try to get through to other places in Europe, especially Southern Europe, they wonder whether it would not be quicker to fly there? If the right hon. Gentleman is earnest about going into Europe, does he not feel that he should oblige the Post Office once again to look not merely at the level of investment intentions but at its programme?

Mr. Chataway

We have been looking, with the Post Office, at its investment levels, and I was recently able to announce an appreciable increase in the level of approved investment in the Post Office over the coming years. The Post Office is pressing ahead fast with the provision of I.S.D. in this country, but the level of performance throughout Western Europe depends on the performance of telecommunications services there.

Mr. Warren

Is my right hon. Friend aware that at the weekend it is not unusual to have to wait 20 minutes to contact the international telephone exchange? Will he please confirm that there has been no large-scale cable breakdown for other than technical reasons in London during the last week?

Mr. Chataway

I am afraid that I cannot deny or confirm it, but I am sure the Post Office will take account of what my hon. Friend says.

4. Mr. Dalyell

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications what conveniently available figures he has for vandalism in telephone kiosks for February, 1972; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Chataway

None, Sir, but the Post Office tells me there were 39,274 incidents of kiosk vandalism in the quarter ending December, 1971.

Mr. Dalyell

Could the statement be checked that vandalised telephones which are out of action for normal service nevertheless can be used for 999 calls? In fact, some of my constituents have tried in emergencies and failed to do so.

Mr. Chataway

Certainly I will check that point. The Post Office is going ahead as fast as it can with measures to protect kiosks from vandalism. In fact, more than half the kiosks in the country have now been fully or partially fitted with strengthened equipment to resist attack.

Mr. Edward Taylor

Are the figures of vandalism rising or falling? Can my right hon. Friend say whether progress was made in the talks that he intended to have with his colleagues in the Home Department about penalties for people who engage in this type of vandalism?

Mr. Chataway

In the last 18 months the number of public telephones out of order has been just about halved. I have concluded that the maximum penalties provided for by the law do not need strengthening. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department on 2nd December.

Mr. Arthur Lewis

I am sure that the Minister will agree that the figures are deplorable. Will he have discussions with the managing director of the telecommunications branch about the letter sent to him today which might help deal with this shocking problem? The Post Office could easily put matters right by a relatively small expenditure. The money would be well spent if the Post Office got on with the job.

Mr. Chataway

I know that the Post Office will want to examine carefully any suggestions put to it by the hon. Gentleman. It has made substantial progress in protecting kiosks and reducing the number which are out of order.

7. Mr. Rost

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications what is the comparative cost, from information available from international sources, of telephone rental and installation in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and countries in the enlarged European Economic Community.

Mr. Chataway

With permission, I will circulate the information in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Mr. Rost

I thank my right hon. Friend for that reply. Is he aware that the table of comparative figures of rental and installation charges for telephones in this country and comparable high density telephone countries in the rest of the world shows us already well down in the bottom half of the league? When the proposed increased charges come into force we shall be about the most expensive country for telephone rental and installation charges. Is not this too high a price to pay for subsidising other services, such as postal delivery and Giro?

Mr. Chataway

That is not the case. I know that my hon. Friend has seen a number of these figures already. I ask him to look at them again very carefully. He will see that even if the increases in rentals proposed by the Post Office were accepted, our charges would still compare favourably with those of the majority of Western European Countries. But in making these comparisons one has to take into account the fact that a number of the charges listed here for other European countries are not up to date. A number have proposed increases since, and the profitability or otherwise of the telephone service and the call charges also have to be taken into account.

Mr. Golding

Is the Minister aware that all studies in the past have shown that the level of charges in the British telephone service compares favourably with that in the United States of America and on the Continent? Is he further aware that the reason for this has been the high increase in productivity in the telephone service over the last 10 years?

Mr. Chataway

There has been a great increase in productivity over recent years, for which the Post Office and its staff are to be congratulated. I hope that the hon. Gentleman will pass on his views to his hon. and learned Friend the Member for Barons Court (Mr. Richard) who, despite the fact that he supports the largest wage claims that are made, none the less described the proposals to increase the revenue of the Post Office by 3 per cent. after two years as shameful.

Following is the information:

Residential rental Business rental Connection charge
£ £ £
Belgium 15 15 13
Denmark 24 24 63
France 24 24 43
Germany, Federal Republic of 17 26 11
Irish Republic 20 22 25
Italy 9 25 46
Luxembourg 11 11 7
Netherlands 23 23 19
Norway 27 27 47
United Kingdom 20 24 25
U.S.A. 30 49 8

NOTE:

1. For many countries these charges vary from place to place. The information given is therefore in some cases an example only, usually relating to the capital city.

2. Connection charges are in some countries varied according to the amount of wiring required; in Norway a capital contribution (repayable with interest) of £58 is also required.

3. In the United States, rentals include some local calls.

4. Conversions are based on the rate of exchange at December, 1971.

13. Mr. Winterton

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications whether he will give a general direction to the Post Office Corporation not to levy retrospective telephone rental increases when the rental for a particular quarter has already been paid in advance in accordance with Post Office requirements.

Mr. Chataway

No, Sir. This is a matter for the Post Office, which tells me, however, that it now proposes to bill higher rentals wholly in advance.

Mr. Winterton

I thank my right hon. Friend for that basically rather unsympathetic reply, but may I ask him whether he agrees that this practice is even more vicious than the practice of gazumping? Once payment has been made, surely a contract has been entered into. This practice very severely affects old people, and people on low incomes.

Mr. Chataway

I know that considerable misunderstanding arose as a result of the way in which the last increase was made in 1970. When my hon. Friend looks at my reply he will see that it is not unsympathetic. In fact, it says "Yes" to what he wants.

15. Dr. Gilbert

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications if he will issue a general direction to the Post Office that the design of all future telephones will be such as to enable the subscriber to adjust the volume of noise made by the bell.

Mr. Chataway

No, Sir. This is a management matter for the Post Office.

Dr. Gilbert

Is it not an enormous waste of skilled manpower when people have to get an engineer to go to their homes to adjust the volume of the telephone? Sick people and others often need to have the volume turned up or down. This is an absurd waste of manpower. Will the right hon. Gentleman think about it again.

Mr. Chataway

I am sure that the Post Office will want to consider what the hon. Gentleman has said. I am informed that there is no appreciable evidence of a demand for this facility, and obviously the Post Office must make choices between the different services that it may develop.

20. Mr. Ewing

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications what representations he has received regarding the proposal to increase rental and connection charges for telephones.

Mr. Chataway

I have received, over 350 letters from hon. Members and from members of the public.

Mr. Ewing

Does the right hon. Gentleman intend to consider these letters from hon. Members and members of the public and act in accordance with the submissions in them, or is he considering the letters and then choosing to ignore them?

Mr. Chataway

Certainly I carefully consider all letters which are sent to my Department.