§ Mr. John Pageasked the Postmaster-General whether he will make arrangements for security measures such as alarm bells to be fitted to public telephone boxes as a deterrent to vandals; and whether he will arrange for a flashing light on the roof of telephone boxes to be activated by a separate switch when tests show the line is faulty so as to 48W reduce the present inconvenience to telephone users.
§ Mr. Joseph SlaterWe have tried local alarms as suggested by the hon. Member. Remote alarms are now used and have proved more successful in assisting the apprehension of thieves. Faults are now cleared as quickly as practicable after being reported. If this cannot be done, a prominent "out of use" notice is displayed. We do not consider that the cost of flashing light signals, as suggested, would be warranted.