HC Deb 17 May 1972 vol 837 c508
>12. Mr. Dempsey asked

the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give a general direction to British Railways to install telecommunications in long-distance trains: and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Peyton

No, Sir.

Mr. Dempsey

Does not the right hon. Gentleman appreciate that increasing numbers of visitors, such as Americans and Canadians, are using the Glasgow trains to the South as a means of seeing the country? Would it not be sensible to have a system of inter-communication on these trains whereby points of interest, scenic areas and the principal cities could be explained to visitors? Would not this encourage more use of the trains?

Mr. Peyton

I would have thought that such matters could be explained to visitors without necessarily installing a telephone on every train. But the question of the installation of such telephones is entirely a matter for the Railways Board, and the provision of facilities necessary to back up those telephones is a matter for the Post Office.