HL Deb 30 March 1955 vol 192 cc237-8

2.51 p.m.

LORD BRABAZON OF TARA

My Lords, I beg to ask the noble Earl the Postmaster General the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is being done to make sure that adequate telephone facilities are made available to meet the growing needs of London Airport.]

THE POSTMASTER GENERAL (EARL DE LA WARR)

My Lords, I am pleased that the noble Lord has asked this Question, as it gives me the chance of saying how essential it is to have good telephone facilities at London Airport where so many visitors get their first impressions of this country. I am therefore taking steps to provide a first-class service there of which we can all be proud. We are now building within the Airport itself a new exchange to be known as Skyport. This exchange will be of the same type as the latest automatic exchanges in Central London and will form part of the London telephone system. Skyport subscribers will be able to dial direct to London numbers and subscribers in London will be able to dial direct to Skyport. I hope the new exchange will be ready early next year. For the convenience of travellers and their friends extra telephone kiosks will be put in when the new South-East Face building is opened, and a special suite of kiosks in the main arrival concourse will be in charge of an attendant to help visitors who are unfamiliar with our telephone system or our language.

LORD BRABAZON OF TARA

My Lords, I should like to thank the noble Earl for the information he has given us, and his Department for their initiative in doing this.

LORD GIFFORD

My Lords, arising out of the noble Earl's Answer, could he say when this special suite of call boxes is likely to be opened and whether there will be someone in attendance who can speak foreign languages, so that he may deal with foreigners arriving from overseas?

EARL DE LA WARR

My Lords, the suite of call boxes will be in working order in about three or four weeks' time and, when the aerodrome is completed, there will be about a hundred call boxes. The attendant will be able to speak, at any rate, French. I hope we shall be able to do better than that and that he will be able to speak three or four languages.