asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs whether it is the policy of his Department to apply criteria other than a system of first come first served in providing telephone service to applicants for telephones; and, if so, what criteria are employed to decide which applicants are to receive service more quickly than their normal position on the list of applications would entitle them to.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Provision of Telephone Service.
81.
The general rule is that if an application falls into one of the approved priority categories, arrangements are made immediately for provision of service. If priority is not warranted the application is deferred pending the next general clearance in the area.
There are at present some unavoidable exceptions to this rule. For example, in a few areas priority cases are subject to delay because of local equipment shortages, and in certain areas the work position is sufficiently advanced to enable service to be given on demand to all applicants. Also, there is in each district a relatively small number of old applications which have had to be deferred because the construction work that would be involved in dealing with them is abnormal.