Telephone Directory (Hansard, 15 July 1991)

§ 41. Dr. Goodson-Wickes
To ask the Lord President of the Council when the design and lay-out of the Palace of Westminster telephone directory was last revised for the benefit of its users.

§ The Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. John MacGregor)
The present design and layout of the Palace of Westminster telephone directory have not changed substantially for a number of years, but the format and content are reviewed and modified on each occasion it is published.

§ Dr. Goodson-Wickes
I hope that my right hon. Friend does not feel that this is a trivial matter, because I know that I am not alone in finding the document physically unwieldy and appallingly indexed and laid out, to the extent that many colleagues telephone the operator rather than wade through it. Is this not a ridiculous state of affairs? Will my right hon. Friend initiate a redesign of the document, preferably by a user?

§ Mr. MacGregor
My hon. Friend may have ideas of his own and I shall ask the Serjeant at Arms to consult him about the improvements that he may wish to suggest for future editions.

§ Mr. Dykes
On the design and layout of the European destination envelopes, will my right hon. Friend confirm that they are commencing today, that supplies are available and that they are properly designed?

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. The question is about telephone directories.