§ 14. Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will give a general direction to the Post Office Corporation not to charge additional sums 957 for installing new telephones in certain districts of big cities over and above the normal charge of £50.
§ Mr. Les HuckfieldNo, Sir. But I understand that the Post Office is consulting the Post Office Users National Council on this matter.
§ Mr. AllaunIs it not astonishing that many residents or applicants in whole districts of a town are not able to have a telephone installed unless they pay an additional deposit of £37 or more on top of the £50 installation fee? Is my hon. Friend aware that, as a result, many people cannot have telephones installed? Is this not a blatant unfairness since it is the poorest people who have to pay more than others for a telephone, and since the telephone industry is a highly successful nationalised industry with a large surplus?
§ Mr. HuckfieldI know that my hon. Friend lays stress on this point. There is concern on both sides of the House about the fact that there appears to be discrimination by area. It is because of this that the Post Office and the Post Office Users National Council are jointly studying the problem.
§ Mr. MaddenIs my hon. Friend aware that some local authorities which pay the rental charge on telephones for disabled people are taking a share of the £7 bonus which has been given to all telephone subscribers? Does he realise that the local authority in my constituency is proposing to keep the whole bonus? Will he look into this matter and ask for guidance from the Post Office so that local authorities may reach a fair agreement with telephone subscribers?
§ Mr. HuckfieldI am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising that matter, because I know that there is concern about what some local authorities have been doing, particularly in connection with telephones provided for the chronically sick and disabled. If my hon. Friend will let me have further evidence on this matter, I will gladly look into it.