asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will consider the advisability of entering into reciprocal arrangements with the Government of the Six Counties to enable County Donegal cross-Channeltelephone calls to pass through the Six Counties and thus facilitate and expedite such calls, particularly during the herring fishing season in County Donegal.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Donegal Telephone Service.
The proposed routing of the calls referred to via the Six Counties would not expedite their treatment as delays are due, not to inadequacy of main trunk outlets from County Donegal, but to shortage of circuits on certain routes within the county. The question of acting on the lines proposed does not, therefore, arise.
Is the Minister aware that a cross-Channel call from Lifford, County Donegal, may take anything from three or four hours to put through, whereas a cross-Channel call from across the bridge in Strabane can be put through almost immediately?
I am aware that in a period of eight days peak traffic, from Donegal to cross-Channel, in only six out of 153 calls was the delay 60 minutes or over.