asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he is aware that inconvenience and expense has been caused to telephone users in Dublin, arising from the fact that his Department notified them of changes in telephone numbers, as from a certain date, subsequently deferred the change to a later date and then issued an entirely different new number; and if he will take steps to prevent a recurrence.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Telephone Numbers.
Changes in telephone numbers involving about 2,000 subscribers were deferred from the 1st October to the 1st November because of unavoidable delay in the printing of the October issue of the Telephone Directory. From the 1st November the subscribers concerned will use the new numbers notified to them in August last. These numbers have not been changed in the meantime but about 230 of the lines, which were provided comparatively recently and which had to be connected exceptionally to an exchange other than their zone exchange, will have to be changed again in six months or so. In these cases special notice was given to the subscribers concerned so that they might only order minimum quantities of stationery, etc.
I appreciate that changes of telephone numbers cause inconvenience to subscribers but for technical reasons they are unavoidable in connection with improvements and extensions of the automatic equipment.
Arrangements are, however, being made whereby anybody dialling the old numbers of the subscribers affected by the changes in number will be automatically connected to the new numbers for some time after the changes have taken place.