§ 13. Mr. M. Lindsayasked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he is aware that Mr. R. M. Hutchinson, of 177, Wellsford Avenue, Birmingham, 26, has been on the waiting list for a telephone for 5 years and 11 months; and when he and other residents in this part of Sheldon, Birmingham, can expect to have their telephones installed.
§ Mr. GammansI very much regret the delay in meeting this, and, I am afraid, other applications of long standing in this area. The trouble is that Sheldon is mainly residential and in all parts of the country extension of telephone services in the residential areas have had to give way to development in industrial and commercial areas.
As the hon. Gentleman is aware, this is because ever since the war it has never been possible to allot to the Post Office sufficient capital expenditure to meet demands.
At the end of this year a small extension of the exchange will be completed, but this will only help to give service to waiting applicants if there are spare wires in the locality or if it is possible to persuade a neighbour to share.