§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) if he will call for a report from the Director General of Oftel on how many occasions British Telecom engineers have monitored telephone conversations on domestic telephone lines within the Wakefield district in the last year for which figures are available;
(2) if he will call for a report from the Director of Oftel on how many occasions British Telecom engineers have monitored private conversations on domestic telephone lines, in the last year for which figures are available.
§ Mr. AtkinsNo, but I shall draw the hon. Member's concern to the attention of the Director General of Telecommunications. He already has powers to look into such matters.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what non-statutory safeguards are available for British Telecom customers, in the event that their private and personal conversations are monitored by employees of British Telecom.
§ Mr. AtkinsSafeguards in addition to the existing statutory safeguards are a matter for the operator in the first instance. The Director General of Telecommunications already keeps the sufficiency of the safeguards under review.