asked the Minister for Justice whether he is aware that on the night of the 14th instant, Mr. Callinan, The Commons, Carron, County Clare, was refused the use of the telephone in the local Garda station, which is the only telephone within ten miles of Carron, to summon medical aid for his wife who was dangerously ill, and whether, pending, the erection of a public telephone there, he will instruct the local Gardaí to allow the use of their telephone in urgent cases of illness.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Use of Garda Telephone.
The existing Garda instructions permit the use of telephones in Garda stations by members of the public, for the purposes of summoning spiritual or medical aid in cases of urgency, when local call offices are not open to the public.
In the case referred to by the Deputy a request was made to telephone for a car to convey Mr. Callinan's wife to hospital next day. As removal to hospital was not urgently needed and as there were other means of getting a car, the Gardaí did not consider that the case was one in which the use of the telephone should be permitted. They undertook, however, when telephoning to Kilfenora on other business to ask the Gardaí there to engage a car.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that this area is ten miles from the nearest telephone office —it is ten miles from either Kilfenora or Corofin? It would facilitate the residents of that area very much, in cases of serious illness, if telephone facilities were made available to them.
The regulations are quite clear to the Gardaí. As I have told the Deputy, they have instruction that for the purpose of summoning spiritual or medical aid in cases of urgency, when the local call office is closed, the Garda station may be used. Generally speaking, in practice, the fact is that people go to the Garda station and want to get the telephone message sent without cost.