asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will state (a) the number of applications on the waiting list for telephone installation in the City of Dublin, (b) the cause of the delay in installation and (c) the areas in which difficulties have arisen.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Telephone Services.
The information requested is as follows:—
(a) 1,800 approximately.
(b) The main cause of the delay is shortage of spare wires in the underground cables.
(c) It is not practicable to delimit areas in which difficulties have arisen for the reason that difficulties have affected practically every area in recent years varying in degree according to the plant available and the extent of local demand. These difficulties have as far as possible been dealt with locally as they arose. The position now is that a large part of the main underground network of the city needs to be expanded substantially by laying main cables from the exchanges on an extensive scale before applications can be freely met in the areas affected. Major schemes for the recabling of the central city business areas have been in progress for some time. Other areas in need of relief will be dealt with as early as qualified staff can be made available for recabling.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will have a public telephone kiosk erected in the Grange Park housing estate, Waterford.
Arrangements are already in hand to provide a public telephone kiosk to serve the Grange Park housing estate.