HC Deb 25 January 1966 vol 723 c54W
Mr. Woodhouse

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that on Sunday, 2nd January, a 15-year-old girl, Miss Deirdre Nolan, of 34, Balfour Road, Blackbird Leys Estate, Oxford, died because the simultaneous unserviceability of all the public telephone kiosks on the estate made it impossible to call a doctor in time; and what steps he will take to expedite the supply of spare equipment to the Oxford telephone area, and to increase the number of public telephones on the Blackbird Leys Estate.

Mr. Benn

I have seen newspaper reports of this sad incident, although not all the kiosks on the estate were out of order at the time.

There are five kiosks on this estate and a further one will be provided in the near future. In the aggregate these kiosks have suffered damage on nearly 100 occasions in the past 12 months. We try to provide emergency service as quickly as possible.

The present wave of vandalism has produced a national shortage of replacement parts, and this delays the restoration of full service.