§ Mr. Patrick Maitlandasked the Postmaster-General if he will explain the difference between the order list and the waiting list for telephones; and if he will state their present size in Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom, respectively.
§ Mr. K. ThompsonThe order list is the gross number of unfulfilled orders for telephone service. First, there are the current orders under inquiry or in course of completion. These are sometimes referred to as the pipeline. Secondly, there are the orders which cannot be completed until new cables are laid or exchanges are extended. This is the waiting list.
In Scotland there are 5,500 orders in the pipeline and 4,700 on the waiting list.
In the remainder of the United Kingdom there are about 75,000 orders in the pipeline, and 63,000 on the waiting list.
In the United Kingdom as a whole the pipeline has for some time remained steady at about 80,000. The waiting list, however, has fallen steadily as new plant has been provided. It has dropped from a quarter of a million to 68,000 in the last three years.