§ Mr. Anthony CoombsTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what information he has as to(a) the number of employees in the British telecommunications industry per telephone subscriber and (b) the comparable figure for West Germany and France.
§ Mr. ButcherThe latest edition of the "International Telecommunication Union's Yearbook of Common Carrier Telecommunication Statistics" gives the following information: 375W
376W
Total staff in telecommunication services Main lines (telephone exchange connections) United Kingdom (British Telecom) 31 March 1986 230,197 21,653,639 Germany (Federal Republic) (Bundesministerium fur das Post-und Fernmeldewesen) 31 December 1985 212,364 25,588,585
Total staff in telecommunication services Main lines (telephone exchange connections) France (Direction generate des telecommunications) 31 December 1985 166,788 23,031,972 Direct comparison of such figures can be misleading as different operators offer different services whilst the amount of sub-contracted work also differs. A comparison of prices charged suggests that for typical telephone use United Kingdom prices are at least in line with France and Germany.