asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs whether he is aware of the urgent necessity for telephone facilities for residents of the Valley, Beaufort, County Kerry; and, if so, whether he will arrange for an extension of the service from Kate Kearney's cottage to the Valley at the earliest possible date.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Telephone Facilities.
In rural areas, telephone call offices are provided at public expense only in post offices. As there is no post office in the Valley, a telephone could only be provided there if some interested body or person were willing to rent the facility for public use. The construction work involved is, however, abnormally heavy and, having regard to the Department's commitments on other urgent construction work, in particular the provision of new lines for waiting applicants, I regret that the installation of a line to the Valley could not be undertaken for a considerable time.
If I can submit facts pointing out the extenuating circumstances, will the Minister give this matter further consideration?
I think the Deputy knows well the disagreement between the county council and the Department. The county council took over the line and guaranteed to pay a certain amount, but up to the present they have failed to carry out their agreement. If it were carried out by the county council, it might improve matters.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will state in respect of West Cork (a) what places he hopes to provide with telephone kiosks in the current year, and (b) to what post offices he hopes to extend telephone facilities.
The current telephone kiosk programme does not include any places in West Cork.
Kiosks are provided in the order of the greatest need, and an essential pre-requisite is that continuous telephone service is available or can be made available to them.
The following places in West Cork were provided with telephone kiosks during the past three years, viz., Skibbereen, Bandon, Bantry Macroom, Kinsale, Dunmanway, Glengarriff and Clonakilty.
It is intended to provide telephone call offices at post offices in the following West Cork districts during the next 12 months, viz., Ballinacarriga, Lisbealad, Nohoval, Kilmacsimon Quay, Farnanes, Ovens, Creagh, Lissarda, Ballyfeard and Ballyvourney.