72. Sir C. Mott-Radclylffeasked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that his Department recently sent to the hon. Member for Windsor a number of booklets recommending the usefulness of the telephone service, both for business and other purposes, and that the receipt of these booklets followed shortly upon an appeal by the General Post Office to his constituents in the Maidenhead area not to use the telephone more than is necessary between the hours of 9.30 and 11.30 in the mornings until 1962, owing to shortage of staff and other technical difficulties; and what steps he is taking to make it possible for the hon. Member to telephone to his constituency or for his constituents to telephone to each other without delays owing to the few lines that are available being permanently occupied.
§ Mr. BevinsYes. I regret the standard of the telephone service at Maidenhead. This is mainly due to difficulty of getting staff to handle the rapidly rising traffic. The exchange will be converted to automatic working, with subscriber trunk dialling, towards the end of 1962. Meanwhile, I am doing all I can to improve the position, and the capacity of the London route is being increased.