§ Mr. Cleggasked the Postmaster-General (1) what plans he has to mechanise the alarm call service with a view to reducing costs to the subscriber;
(2) how many man hours were spent on the alarm call service in the last accounting year;
(3) what reduction he expects annually in the number of alarm calls as a result of the recent increase in charges from. 6d. to 2s.;
(4) how many extra operators are required to maintain the alarm call service.
§ Mr. StonehouseI am looking into ways of mechanising the alarm call service. Last year about 600,000 man-hours were spent directly on booking and connecting alarm calls. The number of operators required depends on the incidence of duties and calls but it is estimated that if the service were not provided the total operating force could be reduced by at least 400. I expect the number of alarm calls, which recently has been increasing by 7 per cent. per annum, to fall by about 25 per cent. as a result of the recent increase in charges.