asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will provide a telephone kiosk at the new estate, Limekiln Farm, Greenhills Estate, Dublin.
90.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Telephone Service.
89.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will provide a telephone kiosk at the new estate, Greenpark, Walkinstown, Dublin.
I propose with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 89 and 90 together.
Arrangements to provide a telephone kiosk to serve the combined area of Limekiln Farm and Greenpark are well advanced and it is hoped that the kiosk will be in service in about three months.
As a person with a complete knowledge of the area, I think it only fair to say that a telephone kiosk to serve the two areas would not be very satisfactory. I should appreciate it if the Minister would have another look at it.
Certainly, I will be always happy to receive representations from Deputies in these matters. I should say, however, that the site for a kiosk to serve both these areas has already been selected near the shopping centre in St. James's Road and local authority approval of this site was sought on 15th January. Provided that this approval is forthcoming quickly, it is expected to have the kiosk erected in about three months' time.
Is there any hope of providing a telephone kiosk for the new estate in Greenpark?
The situation will be kept under review is the best that I can tell the Deputy at present.
91.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when a telephone will be installed in respect of a person in Dublin (details supplied).
Within the next two months.
92.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he has any plans to bring forward the operational date stated to be April, 1974, for the additional automatic equipment in Bray exchange, County Wicklow; if he plans any immediate extensions to the two main cabling schemes; and, if so, if he will state their locations.
Work is in progress at Bray exchange on the installation of the additional equipment. On the basis of latest information from the contractor, this equipment is expected to be in service in July next. Earlier completion is, I am advised, unlikely but every effort will be made towards this end. The slippage on the previous forecast referred to by the Deputy was due to late completion of other works necessary before the installation work could be undertaken.
Cabling extensions to serve the following general areas in Bray are planned: Sidmonton, Loreto Avenue, Convent Avenue, Westfield Terrace, Putland Road, Railway Station, Hollybrook, Kilmacanogue, Rocky Valley, Herbert Road, Main Street.
93.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will make arrangements to have a telephone line laid to Caslagh, Mastergeehy, Killarney, County Kerry, together with a branch to Dromod, since both areas are seven miles from Waterville where the nearest public telephone is located.
I assume the Deputy's question relates to the provision of telephone kiosks at Caslagh and Dromod. My Department are not at present providing kiosks in areas such as these where there are no post offices.
94.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when he will be in a position to cater for the backlog of requests for telephone service in Swords, County Dublin.
Next autumn, I hope, when additional exchange equipment, at present being installed by a contractor, is due to be brought into service. The great majority of existing waiting applications will, it is expected, have attention by the end of the year.
95.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the action he intends taking to improve the telephone service in Skerries, County Dublin, where the present service is adversely affecting the business life of the town.
Last summer the number of trunk circuits serving Skerries was increased by over 25 per cent and some additional exchange equipment was installed. There is, however, still some congestion at the exchange which will be relieved within the next 12 months by the provision of extra equipment and trunk circuits. The quality of transmission on calls to certain areas is not fully satisfactory and steps are being taken to improve it. It is expected that the necessary work will be completed by the summer.
96.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when it is intended to provide a public telephone at Furnace, Newport, County Mayo.
97.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if a public telephone will be erected at Youngfield, Glengarriff, County Cork, to serve 80 houses in that area.
98.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will consider the request to have a public telephone kiosk erected at Ballintra on Arranmore Island, County Donegal.
I propose, with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 96, 97 and 98 together.
My Department have at present no plans to provide public telephones in rural areas such as Furnace, Youngfield or Ballintra on Arranmore Island where there is no post office.
Would the Minister agree that despite the fact that this House made substantial funds available to his Department to improve the telephone services there is no evidence at the moment of any improvement in the services in rural areas? Would the Minister further agree that his Department continually send out the same stock answer with regard to the provision of telephones in rural areas?
This is, to some extent, a more general question. I would like to say that there are over 2,200 kiosks in the country. The original question relates to kiosks. These include over 1,700 in provincial areas. Development is continuing but if Deputies put down the same or similar questions the answers will tend to be the same or similar if there has been no change in the position.
Would the Minister not ask his Department to review the decision taken on the siting of telephone kiosks? I agree with the Minister when he says that there are questions coming in the same vein all the time. Surely this points out to the Minister that the criterion he is using at——
The Deputy is making a statement.
I am asking a question. It is an important question which concerns areas such as Cork and Tipperary.
The Deputy may not generalise. The questions refer to specific areas.
The Minister has said—and I agree with him—that this particular type of question——
A question please, Deputy.
There is need to review the system that prevails.
The Deputy is embarking on a statement.
Would the Minister ask his Department, particularly in view of the growing areas where there are no sub-post offices, to examine the position? I am sure the Minister will agree with me that the system in his Department at present is outdated.
I am not satisfied that the system is outdated. I am open to receive evidence from Deputies if they can show me that injustice results from the system. We are dealing with the allocation of scarce resources and we try to allocate them according to fair priorities.
99.
Mr. Kitt
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the number of telephone kiosks his Department proposes to provide in north-east Galway in 1974; and the location of each one.
Seven—at Attymon, Caltra, Creggs, Glinsk, Gurteen, Milltown and Tuam.
Question No. 100 postponed.
101.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the number of applicants awaiting telephone service in the Cork city area; and the action he is taking to expedite the matter.
The answer to the first part of the question is about 2,000.
As regards the second part, additional equipment is being installed in three Cork city exchanges; more is on order; an extensive programme of underground cabling is being carried out in the Cork city area; and the installation staff is being steadily increased.
Will the Minister tell us how many of those 2,000 will be installed during the financial year commencing in April?
That is a separate question.
I will have to answer the Deputy by reference to the year of application. Some of these applications have been outstanding for some very considerable time. Of these 2,000 applications 53 were made in 1971; 355 in 1972; 1,200 in 1973 and 237 in 1974. The applicants are spread fairly evenly over the four exchanges. In our experience about 15 per cent of applicants cancel their applications.
How many do you expect——
I am sorry, I am just leading up to the answer which I can only give by the definition of these criteria. The Deputy will understand when I have finished my answer. It is expected that the 1971 and 1972 applications will be serviced by the end of 1974 and the bulk of the remaining orders now on hand will be serviced by the end of 1975. My Department regret these long delays, the reasons for which will be understood by all.
102.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when an all-night telephone service will be available to the people of Rylane, County Cork.
The introduction of continuous telephone service at Rylane exchange which has 20 subscribers is not warranted at present. During the periods when the exchange is closed a number of Rylane subscribers have service by means of switching over the trunk lines to Cork exchange. More subscribers can be given continuous service in this way if required.
Questions Nos. 103 and 104 postponed.
105.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will arrange to have a telephone kiosk erected outside Rosegreen post office, Cashel, County Tipperary.
Not at present. The use made by the public of the call office telephone in the sub-post office at Rosegreen is not sufficient to warrant provision of a kiosk there.
106.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will provide a telephone kiosk for the new houses at Magherarney, Smithboro, County Monaghan.
My Department are not at present providing public telephones in areas such as Magherarney where there is no post office. The area is already served by a kiosk less than a mile away at Smithboro which is not extensively used.
107.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he approved of the order, now in force, whereby canteens in all telephone exchanges are closed at 11 a.m.
The canteens in Dublin exchanges which I assume the Deputy has in mind are operated by a management committee consisting mainly of elected staff representatives.
That committee determine the hours of opening and closing. Accordingly, no question of my approving any such order as the Deputy mentions has arisen, nor is any order in existence for closing at 11 a.m.
108.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when a telephone will be installed for a person (name supplied) in County Meath who paid the deposit in October, 1973; and the reason for the delay.
Before the end of this month. The delay in providing service is due mainly to the pressure of work in the area and the severe storm damage in January.
109.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the number of telephone kiosks to be provided in County Cork during the next 12 months; and the location of each kiosk.
It is planned to provide 30 telephone kiosks in County Cork during the calendar year 1974 at the following places: Aghabullogue, Adrigole, Allihies, Araglin, Ardfield, Ballinascarthy, Ballincollig, Ballygarvan, Bantry, Berrings, Carrigrohane, Clonakilty, Cork City (three kiosks), Donoughmore, Farran, Glanmire, Glounthane, Kerry Pike, Kilcorney, Killinardrish, Lyre, Rerrin, Skibbereen, Shanbally, Tower, Trafrask, Upton and Youghal.
The kiosk programme for 1975 will not be settled until towards the end of 1974.
110.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs why a telephone has not yet been installed for a person in County Laois (name supplied) who paid a deposit on 1st November, 1973.
The delay in the provision of service for the applicant in question is due mainly to the pressure of work in the area and the disruption of the planned installation programme by the severe storm damage in January. The erection of about 1½ miles of aerial cable is necessary to provide service in this case.