§ 12.7 am
§ Mr. John Golding (Newcastle-under-Lyme)This afternoon Miss McKinley, in the presence of Mr. David Norman of the Post Office Engineering Union and other officers of the British Telecom unions, presented to me two petitions. Miss McKinley assured me that there are over 200,000 signatures on these petitions, which were delivered to me in two very large sacks. I wish to present them to the House this evening.
The first petition reads as follows:To the Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament Assembled.The Humble Petition of Citizens of the United Kingdom sheweth:That the Telecommunications Bill 1982, if passed, will seriously damage telecommunications in Great Britain, now and in the future.That the Bill is against the interests of the consumer, in that rural services and services to the domestic customer will become more expensive or disappear altogether.That the Bill is against the interests of the elderly, the poor and the disabled, in that vital lifeline services provided by BT will no longer be available to them at a price they can afford.Wherefore your Petitioners pray that your Honourable House do not pass the Telecommunications Bill 1982.And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray, etc.The second petition reads as follows:To the Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament Assembled.The Humble Petition of Employees of British Telecom sheweth:That the Telecommunications Bill 1982, if passed, will seriously damage telecommunications in Great Britain, now and in the future.That the Bill is against the interests of British Telecom and its employees.That the Bill will do nothing to enhance telecommunication services offered to the public.That the Bill will result in higher prices for telecommunication services, especially for the rural customer and the domestic subscriber.That the Bill is against the interests of the companies supplying BT and the workforce of these companies.That the Bill is against the interests of the elderly, the poor and the disabled, in that vital lifeline services provided by BT will no longer be available to them at a price they can afford.That the Bill will result in services such as telephone kiosks becoming more and more expensive or disappearing altogether.Wherefore your Petitioners pray that your Honourable House do not pass the Telecommunications Bill 1982.And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray, etc.I beg leave to present the petitions.
§ To lie upon the Table.