asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs whether he will have the grade of Dungarvan Post Office, County Waterford examined with a view to its being graded upward as Dungarvan is a county town, as there is a great amount of business transacted there by the head office of Waterford County Council and bodies such as the health authority, the vocational education committee and the county committee of agriculture etc, and as it has important industries.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dungarvan Post Office.
12.
No advantages either organisationally or from the point of view of services to the public would result from the upgrading of Dungarvan Post Office. There are no good grounds, therefore, for changing its status. I might add that the grading of all post offices is kept under constant review.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary say if Dungarvan is the only county town in the Republic with such a grading? Is he aware that if Dungarvan office was not under Waterford, they could despatch the mails to Clonmel direct and speed up their delivery by an hour and a half? How can he say that no advantage could be gained, in view of the fact that if somebody needed a fuse to repair a telephone in Dungarvan, he has to send to Waterford first for permission to do it, instead of being able to send out the local engineer to test the fuse? Does the Parliamentary Secretary seriously agree with the reply he has read out?
In fact, there would not necessarily be any improvement in the standard of service if the office were upgraded.
Was it not the speed the Parliamentary Secretary mentioned in the reply?
I said that no advantage, either organisationally or from the point of view of service and upkeep, would result from the upgrading. That is the actual position. I have no information as to the individual points made by the Deputy, about having to send to Waterford for a fuse——
That is true.
——but I should be rather surprised if that is so.
In view of that, would the Parliamentary Secretary have that matter examined?
I could have a look at that.