§ 47. Mr. Sorensenasked the Postmaster-General how many public telephones and kiosks have been wilfully damaged in the Borough of Leyton during the past year; whether this shows an increase on previous years; how many persons have been charged with offences; and what further consideration has been given to the use of devices that cause audible alarm when public telephones are maliciously used.
§ Mr. BevinsI am sorry that this information is not available in the precise form asked for, but in 1963 there were 338 cases of wilful damage in the Leytonstone telephone exchange area compared with 342 in 1962 and 162 in 1961. There were no prosecutions in the Leyton area itself, although there were 14 in the East Telephone area of which Leyton forms part. I will write to the hon. Member giving him the up-to-date position about audible alarms.