§ 2.56 p.m.
§ Lord FERRIERMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
The Question was as follows:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will encourage British Rail and the British Airports Authority to improve the sound quality of announcements made over the public address systems in railway stations and airports either by adjustment in apparatus or by staff training or both.
§ Baroness STEDMANMy Lords, these are matters for the management of the British Railways Board and the British Airports Authority, who are always willing to consider users' complaints about the quality of their services.
§ Lord FERRIERMy Lords, it would be discourteous of me not to thank the noble Baroness for her Answer, but it does not take us very far. May I ask a small supplementary question ? I am not saying that all stations or airports are bad or that we need worry about—
§ Several Noble Lords: Question!
§ Lord FERRIERI am coming to my question—or that we need worry about experienced travellers like most of us. But would the noble Baroness agree that every effort should be made to beam broadcast messages of this nature to the inexperienced, often bewildered, and some times foreign people who abound in this country during this holiday period ? Can anything be done to help the railways to improve their equipment and their staff training?
§ Baroness STEDMANMy Lords, it is a longstanding convention that Government do not interfere with matters concerning the nationalised industries. I understand that the British Airports Authority have already noted the Question. If they have not already done so, they are proposing to write to the noble Lord opposite and explain their procedure. I am quite sure that if he writes to British Railways they will also explain their training procedure for their announcers.
§ Lord FERRIERMy Lords, may I ask the noble Baroness whether she would care to meet me in the Princes Chamber, because I have some experience of this, particularly on shipboard, and I know of several simple devices which might help British Railways?
§ Baroness STEDMANMy Lords, I would be delighted to meet the noble Lord.
§ Lord WYNNE-JONESMy Lords, could there be serious unemployment caused if unintelligibility and inaudibility were removed from these announcements?