§ Mr. Malcolm MacMillanasked the Postmaster-General how many public telephone kiosks are being asked for by the county and district councils responsible for the Western Isles; how many are to be provided; and when.
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§ Mr. Marples26 new kiosks have been asked for; but very few of these can be justified when account is taken of the high initial cost, the heavy annual loss, and the extensive provision already made. There are 162 public telephones in the Western Isles; we hope to provide 3 more during the next two years, but one of these must await the construction of a new road to the site.
§ Mr. Malcolm MacMillanasked the Postmaster-General what number of applications for telephones he has had from the Western Isles constituency area in the last three years; how many have been granted, how many refused, and how many are outstanding, respectively.
§ Mr. MarplesTwo hundred and sixty-eight applications have been received in the past three years and 320 telephones have been provided. The latter figure includes some lines installed to meet applications made before 1956. No applications have been refused, but in some cases provision has had to be deferred because of the large amount of work involved. Eleven applications are at present held up for that reason; 40 others are under inquiry or in course of being met.