asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs whether he will take steps to have (a) a public telephone installed at Mountuniack, Killeagh, County Cork, and (b) a telephone kiosk erected at Killeagh, County Cork.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Telephone Kiosks.
It is hoped to resume work shortly on the call office scheme which has been in abeyance for some time past owing to pressure of more urgent work. The programme for the next 12 months is at present being drawn up and it is not possible yet to indicate when a call office will be installed at any particular post office. Accordingly, I regret that I cannot say when Mountuniack is likely to be dealt with.
I should like to add that the call office scheme involves the installation of telephones in some 800 post offices, mostly in remote places, and the scheme will take some years to complete. In order that the best progress may be made, it will be necessary that the order in which call offices will be installed should be settled mainly on engineering grounds.
As regards the second part of the question, it is hoped to have the telephone kiosk in operation at Killeagh within the next six months.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs whether he is aware of the great necessity for a telephone kiosk at (a) Kilmallock, and (b) Abbeyfeale, County Limerick; and if so, whether he will arrange to have one installed at each of these centres at the earliest possible date.
A telephone kiosk will be provided at Kilmallock next year.
The need for a kiosk at Abbeyfeale is recognised, but it is not possible at present to provide continuous service for a kiosk there, and as continuous service is an essential feature of kiosks, the erection of one at Abbeyfeale cannot proceed yet. The position will be kept under review and a kiosk will be erected as soon as continuous service can be provided.