§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Postmaster-General (1) what facilities there are for monoglot Welshmen to make calls and seek information through exchanges in Wales;
(2) what steps he is taking to prevent the delay and difficulty sometimes experienced by those asking for a number in Welsh:
(3) how many operators in exchanges in Wales speak Welsh fluently;
(4) whether he will instruct operators in Wales in areas with 50 per cent. or more Welsh-speaking people to say number please in Welsh.
§ Mr. Edward ShortInstructions in Welsh on how to make a telephone call are displayed in telephone kiosks in Wales, and, apart from places where little Welsh is spoken, all exchanges in Wales have some Welsh-speaking operators. Arrangements are made to deal with calls and inquiries from monoglot Welshmen specially, but this is rarely necessary. Of 2,000 operators in exchanges in Wales and Monmouthshire approximately 370 speak Welsh. I do not consider that the number of callers unable to speak English justifies instructing all operators in predominently Welsh-speaking areas how to say number please in Welsh.