asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will state when telephone facilities will be provided in Tooreen Post Office, Ballyhaunis, County Mayo.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Telephone Facilities.
A public telephone will be installed in Tooreen Post Office as soon as certain difficulties in regard to statutory wayleave consent required from the local authority have been satisfactorily settled.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will establish a day and night telephone service in rural areas.
Over 97 per cent. of subscribers connected to the telephone service have continuous (day and night) service including all subscribers connected to exchanges in rural areas with 20 or more subscribers and over half the subscribers served from smaller rural exchanges.
The problem of giving continuous service at small rural exchanges is one of cost of all-night attendance being out of all proportion to revenue; in many cases the additional cost would exceed the total rentals being paid by the subscribers affected. A solution may be found in small rural automatic exchanges of suitable type and cost for conditions here and this aspect of the matter is under investigation in my Department.
I should add that most public telephones in rural post offices are now connected at night to continuous service exchanges in order to provide a means in an emergency of making calls after normal hours of post office business.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs whether he is aware that the telephone at the Garda Barracks, Glanworth, County Cork, which were recently closed, was frequently used by residents in the area, after the local post office had closed, for the purpose of making emergency calls to doctors, the nearest of whom lives five miles away; and, if so, if he will have a telephone kiosk erected in this village.
The provision of a public telephone kiosk at Glanworth would not be warranted by the use likely to be made of it. There is a public telephone in the local post office which is available for emergency calls outside the normal hours of attendance at the office.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will have a telephone kiosk erected at Rosslare Harbour for the benefit of travellers using the port.
There is a public telephone call office in the railway telegraph office on Rosslare Pier and I understand facilities are given for making calls up to 10 p.m. on weekdays. My Department is communicating with C.I.E. on the question of having the public telephone referred to or alternative public telephone facilities available at any time they may be required by persons travelling via Rosslare.
Would the Minister state how far that telephone is from the pier? Is it on the pier?
I assume it is. It is the railway telephone office.
My information is that it is not on the pier.
In any case the Department is in negotiation with C.I.E. in the matter.