Vol. 186 No. 2
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs whether he will now introduce legislation requiring suppressors to be provided on all electrical equipment for the purpose of preventing electrical interference, particularly with radio and television reception.
71.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he is in a position to state when regulations will be made making it compulsory for the affixing of suppressors on electrical equipment; and if he will ensure that the regulations are made and brought into effect forthwith in order that the present inconvenience and interference experienced by radio listeners will be alleviated.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions No. 70 and 71 together.
I already have certain powers under the Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1926, and the Broadcasting Authority Act, 1960, to deal with electrical interference of the kind mentioned by Deputy Rooney. I do not consider that further legislation is required for the purpose he has in mind—at least at this stage. I propose to set up a committee shortly, as provided for in the Broadcasting Authority Act, 1960, to advise me on the making of statutory orders requiring suppressors to be fitted or other appropriate action to be taken in relation to particular kinds of electrical apparatus. Some preliminary progress has been made in collecting documentation on measures taken elsewhere in this regard. Unfortunately, there is no short-cut to interference-free radio and television reception. It will take a considerable time to get out Orders covering such a wide and varied technical field but I hope it will be possible to make Orders this year in regard to some of the most common causes of interference.
In the meantime I have appealed to manufacturers, assemblers and importers of those kinds of electrical goods which are known to cause undue interference to take all practicable measures to prevent such interference before the goods reach the public. Members of the public can also help, not only by having suppressors fitted to items of electrical equipment already in use which cause interference but by making a point of enquiring, before making a purchase of any new item, whether it has been fitted with a suppressor or has otherwise been designed and constructed in such a way as to avoid causing interference.
I would ask the Minister in considering this at least to provide for the use of suppressors after 6 p.m. and on holidays and on Sundays. Otherwise there is not much trouble as television only starts at that time. The principle interference is with television and there is no serious interference with radio. In the case of television when any electric mechanical device is operating television viewing becomes impossible. There is nothing but interference.
