§ Mr. Geoffrey Lloydasked the Postmaster-General whether he will make a statement on his plans to assimilate the subscriber trunk dialling code telephone numbers with the local code numbers; and when such plans will be put into effect so as eliminate a cause of confusion to many subscribers.
§ Mr. StonehouseThe STD dialling code is the same irrespective of the point of origin of the call. Local dialling codes, which vary according to the point of origin, have been retained for reasons of economy, to enable the STD programme to proceed as quickly and cheaply as possible.
Our plans to reduce progressively the number of local dialling codes will shortly be put to the Post Office Users Council. The capital cost of these proposals will be high and will have to be spread over a number of years. We hope the equipment will start to be available in 1973.