§ Mr. Eldon Griffithsasked the Postmaster-General why he is phasing out the present London Telephone Directory in favour of a large number of inconvenient smaller directories.
§ Mrs. Lena Jegerasked the Postmaster-General what plans he has for altering the format of the London telephone directories; and what consultations he has had in this connection.
§ Mr. MasonBy 1975, with the very rapid growth in the number of subscribers, the present directories would more than double in size. This has caused us to examine alternatives to the present directory arrangements which would meet the needs of subscribers and might offer some advantages to them. Research into the way in which present subscribers use the number information services led to the evolution of a plan to provide each user with a single directory about the size of the existing London A-D book. This would be specially compiled to provide him with virtually all the information he needs— not only information about his own neighbourhood but also about installations in the whole of London such as railway termini and hospitals. The Post Office Users Council, the Greater London Council, the London Boroughs Association and the London Chamber of Commerce were consulted on the scheme in outline and the proposed plan will be the subject of an independent public opinion survey before an irrevocable decision is taken.