asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he is aware that there is the gravest dissatisfaction with the standard of telephone service in the Maynooth area of County Kildare; and if he will take immediate steps to have an efficient service provided.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Maynooth (Kildare) Telephone Service.
55.
I am not so aware. With the exception of a short period recently when a local cable fault caused interruptions on a very small number of subscribers' lines, the telephone service in the area has been satisfactory. A number of prominent subscribers in the town were interviewed a few days ago and no evidence was found of general dissatisfaction with the standard of service.
Is the Minister aware that I defy him to go to any ten people in Maynooth and that nine of them will not tell him that the service is utterly impossible at present?
I do not agree at all.
Will the Minister do either of two things: send down a senior official from the Telephone Department to a public meeting in the area, or receive a deputation from the people who cannot get service at present? May I further ask will the Minister himself try dialling Maynooth? I have been trying consistently for the last week and you never get it short of five times.
An officer of my Department went to Maynooth and did interview some of the biggest subscribers in the exchange area.
And refused to go to certain people to whom he was asked to go because they had complaints. I will give the Minister the names——
He certainly went to the most important places and to the largest subscribers. There is no trace of general dissatisfaction.
Is the public representative in the area not the first person, or one of the people, he should go to?
The local Garda station, the ecclesiastical College and some of the larger merchants——
I do not know anything about the College.
——these are a few of the places which he visited.
Will the Minister either send a man down to meet the people of Maynooth or receive a deputation?
We had only one complaint and that was in relation to a cable which was repaired in the course of a day or two.
The Minister is not informed of the facts. Will he receive a deputation?
I will satisfy myself through the ordinary channels.
All right; we will give you time to do that first.
He is in constant touch.