§ 51. Mr. Fisherasked the Postmaster-General if he will give an estimate of the cost of vandalism to public telephone kiosks during the past year.
§ Mr. BennAs my hon. Friend told the hon. Members for Cheadle (Mr. Shepherd) and Gainsborough (Mr. Kimball) on 15th December, the estimated cost, excluding overheads and loss of revenue, is £200,000.
§ Lord Balnielasked the Postmaster-General (1) what was the average period of time during which public telephones damaged by vandals and thieves during the past three months in the Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield and Hertford areas were out of service; (2) on how many days each of the public telephone kiosks in Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield and Hertford were out of action during the past three months.
§ Mr. Benn45 days in Welwyn Garden City; 75 days in Hatfield; and 6 hours in Hertford.
There are 121 kiosks in these three towns and it would take a disproportionate amount of time and expense to give out of action details of each kiosk. Most of these public telephones are repaired on the day they are reported but some in Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield have been out of order for the past 3 months because the sheer scale of the vandalism has caused a temporary shortage of replacement parts.