asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs why telegrams, the text of which is submitted to the post office authorities in the Dublin area after 5.30 p.m. will not be delivered to the person intended until the following morning; why telegrams submitted by the sender after 12.30 p.m. on a Saturday are not delivered until the following Monday morning and what action he proposes to take to rectify this unsatisfactory situation.
Ceistenna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Delivery of Telegrams.
6.
Telegrams are delivered by telephone or telex at all times. Except at Dublin, Cork and Shannon Airport where special arrangements apply, delivery by hand is effected only on weekdays which are not Public Holidays, during the hours when post offices are normally open for counter business, namely from 9.00 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. Saturday is treated as a normal week day for delivery purposes. Exceptionally, deliveries are made up to 6.00 p.m. on Fridays, and at eight of the larger provincial offices deliveries are continued up to 6.00 p.m. on other weekdays also.
The present arrangements seem have given general satisfaction and it is not proposed to alter them.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary not aware that the people in the telephone exchange are inundated with complaints? A telegram is sent as a matter of urgency and people have lost business and employment because of the fact that that telegram was not delivered between 5.30 p.m. and the next morning and on Saturday after one o'clock. The situation is ridiculous.
The situation is that if we bring forward the closing time from 6 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. in all post offices, there will be that curtailment of half an hour. These changes have been brought about following staff representations in connection with hours of working. It will be generally understood, I think, that you cannot have telephone calls or telegrams delivered at a time when you do not have staff there to deliver them.
Is the Minister not prepared to employ people to deliver telegrams during the hours about which I am complaining?
If the post office is not open, telegrams cannot be handed in. As I have said, any telegrams which can be delivered by telephone are always delivered.
The Minister is apparently not aware that telegrams over the telephone have been refused after five o'clock. That happened no later than last week.
It is not a question of telegrams being refused. It is a question of telegrams received over the telephone which cannot be delivered until after opening hours the following morning. We would not be justified in holding on staff simply and solely for the delivery of telegrams.
Employ staff.
It would not be justified for the delivery of telegrams.