§ 94. Mr. Alpassasked the Postmaster-General if he will reconsider the requirement of a guarantee from parish councils of £4 per annum over a period of five years for the maintenance of telephone kiosks in rural districts where other public telephones are not available.
§ Mr. Wilfred PalingThe demand for kiosks in rural areas far exceeds the supply of equipment and available manpower. We must accordingly devote our 85W limited resources to the cases of greatest need and I regret that I cannot abolish the present system of payment which is not onerous and has the merit of distinguishing such cases on the basis of local support. I am prepared, however, to consider any particular case, where owing to extreme remoteness there is special need for a kiosk.