§ 83. Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Lord President of the Council whether he will cause an independent investigation to be made before expending a further £2.5 million on the improvement of the telephone services in the House, into how and why, after spending £5,406,633 since 1 April 1979, the services have so rapidly deteriorated.
§ Mr. BiffenNo. The expenditure on telephone services in the House since 1 April 1979 consists mainly of rental for the equipment, the cost of calls, and operators' pay. The estimated expenditure of £2.5 million on the new exchange will be largely capital. The case for a new exchange was examined very carefully by the Services Committee in 1981.