asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he is aware of the need for adequate post office services in the Ballyfermot area of Dublin and that it is not possible to send a telegram from there at the moment; and what action he intends to take on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Ballyfermot (Dublin) Post Office Services.
31.
The facilities provided in the two post offices in Ballyfermot are adequate to meet the volume of business normally transacted in them.
Telegrams may be sent at any time of the day or night from any of the seven public telephone kiosks in the area or from any other telephone in the area.
At present postal deliveries and collections are made from James's Street District Sorting Office but a site has been acquired for a new district sorting office in Ballyfermot. It is expected that building work will commence early next year.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that what he has said is completely contrary to what is being said by every resident of Ballyfermot who are very emphatic in their view that there is not adequate post office service in the area, that there is an urgent need for what might be described as a general post office service, a post office from which they can send telegrams as well as avail of other services normally open to users of the post office? Will the Parliamentary Secretary not agree with me that it is surely a puerile answer that, because there are a number of public telephone kiosks in the place, it is possible that the people living there should be satisfied with having a means of sending telegrams? Is the Parliamentary Secretary not aware that telegrams can cost varying amounts and that it is not always possible, particularly late at night, to find sufficient change with which to operate the telephone kiosk for the purpose of sending a telegram?
Surely that is a ridiculous proposition for the people of this area? I must confess I cannot understand what the Parliamentary Secretary was talking about in relation to a sorting office. Is it intended that the sorting office, which he said will be a-building soon, will be in the nature of a new general post office for the area as well?
No. I am specifically saying that because the Deputy mentioned claims made by residents in the area. I assume he raised the matter arising out of complaints by the tenants' association in that area. I was rather intrigued by the picture painted by the Deputy of an unfortunate man trying to get change in the middle of the night to send a telegram from Ballyfermot and visualised a situation where, even if there was a post office there, it would not be open.
Even in the daytime.
The post office would not be open at that time of night.
Let us look on the bright side of it, then, for your sake— the daytime.
There should not be much difficulty in getting change for use in a telephone kiosk.
In other words, the Parliamentary Secretary could not care less about the trouble to which he is putting the people of this area.
Deputy Dunne should stop codding.
I care as much for the people of Ballyfermot as Deputy Dunne.
We know very well why you do not care, too.
I am not just playing a line at the moment.
Next question.
Recent events have had an effect on this, I am afraid. It is very mean. We shall take up the matter again at another time on the Adjournment, but not this evening.