asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the number of telephones currently out of order in public kiosks in (a) Dublin city and county and (b) the remainder of the State.
19.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Telephone Service.
18.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the number of public telephone kiosks in (a) Dublin city and county and (b) the remainder of the State.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 and 19 together.
There are 610 public telephone kiosks in Dublin city and county and 1,920 in the remainder of the State. Of these approximately 140 and 150 respectively were out of order on a recent date.
Can the Minister tell us the cost of keeping public telephones in repair?
The cost of repairs for the year ended 31st March, 1974, was about £101,000—£84,000 in Dublin and £17,000 in the provinces.
In view of the cost to the Minister's Department and in view of the number of public telephones out of order, would the Minister consider, as a trial, changing the regulations so that the Department may, in some estates at any rate, site public telephone kiosks either in the gardens or in the homes of residents who might be willing to look after them?
I do not exclude consideration of such measures. I will mention some measures which my Department have taken to combat vandalism. Of course those incidents which are much more numerous in Dublin city than anywhere else are mainly due to vandalism. A total of 187 new specially designed reinforced coin boxes have been installed—185 in the Dublin area and two in the provinces.
These coin boxes are proving very successful in combating vandalism. In case the success of such measures should be contested, I might give some comparative figures. The present figures, which Deputies may well find a bit alarming as I do myself, represent 23 per cent out of order in Dublin and 7.8 per cent in the provinces. The comparative figures for June, 1973, were 26.6 per cent in Dublin and 7.85 per cent in the provinces. Therefore, there has been a percentage decline although the situation is still of course far from satisfactory. We have also fitted in about 620 kiosks steel plates to which the coin box can be bolted with the object of preventing removal of the coin box. We have installed continuous fluorescent lighting in over 2,000 kiosks and an alarm system has been fitted in 97 kiosks which alerts the local manual exchange by lighting a special lamp if the coin box is being interfered with. The operator then notifies the Garda. Further alarm systems will be installed and I will be glad if any Deputy who has further ideas in this matter will communicate with my Department.
The Minister will appreciate that our concern is not alone the cost to the Department but also the fact that, if there are 300 public telephones out of order throughout the State at present, they are not much use to people in an emergency. Therefore the Minister might consider, in addition to what he has outlined, the possibility of a better security system which would be looked after by residents if kiosks were sited beside the hall doors of private residences rather than out on the street.
My Department would certainly be sympathetic to such a system where we could ensure that this would be welcomed by residents. There are areas where this would not necessarily be the case.
Question No. 20.
Can the Minister say whether those 300 kiosks were out of order as a result of vandalism or not?
Yes, the great majority of them I understand, were out of order as a result of vandalism. In 1974 there were 8,085 recorded incidents of vandalism in Dublin and 400 in the provinces. These figures do not include frequent short interruptions of service caused by misuse or minor interference with the coin box —for example, the insertion of bent coins, stuffing of slots with paper or other material. Unfortunately the incidence of vandalism in the city at least appears to have been increasing.
Question No. 20 please.
Would the Minister——
Deputy Tunney, please. The Chair has remained unduly long on this question and has made little progress at Questions today because of the large number of supplementaries and yet the Chair is being barracked.
This is a very constructive piece of questioning.
It is. All these questions are important.
Would the Minister say whether there is any record of anyone having been charged in respect of the vandalism in question?
New matter is continually being introduced into this question.
The Minister is co-operating in giving us information.
I am glad to co-operate with the Deputy, but I think the question of charges in relation to vandalism is one for my colleague, the Minister for Justice.
20.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will arrange for the provision of a telephone kiosk for Darndale housing scheme, Coolock, County Dublin.
Arrangements are already in train to provide a kiosk for the housing scheme in question. They will proceed as soon as the approval of the local authority has been obtained for a suitable site.
21.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will have a telephone kiosk erected at Newtowncashel, County Longford.
The use made of the call office telephone in the sub-post office at Newtowncashel is not sufficient to warrant provision of a kiosk there.
22.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if his Department will provide a public telephone kiosk at St. Cormac's Park Kilcormack, County Offaly.
The existing kiosk at Kilcormack, which serves St. Cormac's Park, is not used to an extent which would justify the provision of a further kiosk there at present.
Is the Minister aware that the kiosk is not near St. Cormac's Park and that there are 158 houses involved?
I understand there is a street kiosk in Main Street, Kilcormack, 100 yards from the post office, which is a quarter mile from the nearest and a half mile from the farthest part of St. Cormac's Park. It is used only to a very moderate extent. Creditable revenue for the year ended 31st December, 1973, was only £244. Therefore, in accordance with the norms generally applied by the Department an additional kiosk in the town, I am sorry to say, would not be regarded as necessary.
In view of the fact that it is half a mile from St. Cormac's Park would the Minister kindly have the case reviewed?
We will certainly keep the matter under review.
Will something be done in the near future?
I cannot promise that.
In view of the fact that there are 158 houses in this park and it is in the form of a semi-circle——
How many houses did the Deputy say?
There are 158 houses. Would the Minister not consider that a telephone would facilitate the people and if it was situated in the actual park it would increase the use made of the phone? Would the Minister consider this matter?
This matter is something of a chestnut in this House. It was raised first by Deputy Sheridan in September, 1970, and subsequently in November, 1971, and August, 1973, and by Deputy Carter in April, 1971, and by my colleague, Deputy Cooney, the Minister for Justice, in January and April, 1974. The reply given in all cases was to the effect that the use made of the call office telephone was so far too low to qualify for the provision of a kiosk.
The Minister is replying to the wrong question.
In that case I apologise to the House.
Question No. 23.
Would the Minister kindly have the matter reviewed again?
I think that is the least I might do.
23.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will consider the provision of a telephone kiosk in the Bohernabreena area of County Dublin.
24.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if his Department will provide a telephone kiosk at Meelick, Swinford, County Mayo.
I propose with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 23 and 24 together.
Kiosks are not being provided in rural areas such as Bohernabreena or Meelick where there is no post office.
I did not hear the reply to my question. Perhaps the Minister would read it again.
That answer is that kiosks are not provided in rural areas where there is no post office.
Will the Minister agree that the number of private telephones in this area is very few and the distance people have to travel to the nearest telephone kiosk is quite a number of miles? Will he consider providing a telephone kiosk for the people in this area?
I am informed there are three telephone kiosks within two miles of the built-up part of Bohernabreena. The nearest kiosk at Seskin is about three-quarters of a mile from the nearest part of this area and about one and three quarter miles from the further point. In addition to some 20 rented lines in the Bohernabreena Old Court area there are two coin box telephones in licensed premises near Old Bawn Cross. Kiosks are provided in rural areas only in replacement of call office telephones in sub-post offices, those which are most used being dealt with first. This is a general principle applied by my Department and if it were departed from it would raise serious difficulties.
This is a very hilly area and I do not accept that the hilly part of the area is only one-and-a-half or two miles from the nearest kiosk. I appeal to the Minister to reconsider the matter and provide a telephone kiosk in this area.
Would the Minister not agree that the principle of this is wrong? The rural areas which have no post offices should get kiosks. Is there some agreement between the Minister's Department and the sub-post offices that they get kiosks. The principle is absolutely wrong.
The principle may be absolutely wrong but it is one which has been applied for a great number of years, and was applied by the Government supported by the Deputy.
Bohernabreena and Meelick are very far apart. Would the Minister not accept that the application for a kiosk at Meelick came from Muintir na Tíre, that there are 164 houses in this parish and that the nearest telephone facilities, apart from one in a private house, are seven miles away? Would he not consider erecting a kiosk at the corner near the church?
First of all, I understand the Deputy's concern at bringing together two localities which are remote from one another, but it is a fact that the same principle applies in both areas, wide apart as they are.
They are totally different areas.
I realise they are different areas but the same principles have to be applied evenly by the Department and I think there would, rightfully, be complaints from different parts of the country if different principles were applied. I should like to make to the Deputy what is a constructive suggestion, which I would make also to other Deputies concerned here. There is a scheme under which the Department would be prepared to provide a kiosk at a place like Meelick, that is under guarantee by the local authority. Many other local authorities have availed of this scheme, details of which will be furnished by my Department on request by the appropriate local authority or to any Deputy who may request it.
Question No. 25.
Is the Minister aware that Muintir na Tíre in this area are prepared to make this guarantee?
I was not aware that Muintir na Tíre were prepared to make that guarantee and I will have that matter looked into as sympathetically as possible.
25.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the number of telephone kiosks that will be erected in South Tipperary in 1975 and the location of each; and the number erected in 1974.
Arrangements are being made to provide 12 telephone kiosks at the following places in south Tipperary during 1975 under local authority guarantee:—Ardfinnan (St. Finian's Terrace); Ballysloe, Cahir (Woodview); Clonmel (Marlfield); Donaskeight, Fethard (Abbey Street); Grangemockler, Killenaule (St. Mary's Road); Killusty, Monard, Moyglass, and Toem. The kiosk programme for 1975 has not yet been finally settled. When it has, I will be glad to communicate full particulars of the programme for South Tipperary to the Deputy.
Five kiosks were provided in the area during 1974.
What is the nature of the guarantee from the local authority?
The nature of the guarantee is that the local authority will arrange to make good any shortfall in the revenue required to maintain the kiosk, which would normally be—I speak off the cuff—about £170.
On what basis is the economic return worked out?
We seem to be going back to a previous question.
How does the shortfall arise?
I think it is on the simple principle of covering the cost of construction and maintenance. Maintenance can, of course, be quite high in certain areas. It varies.
Does it vary from area to area?
Yes.
Would each particular telephone kiosk have an economic rent worked out?
That is right. It varies principally between urban and rural areas.
In the event of a local authority wishing to give such a guarantee would they be furnished with the information on which the economic return is based?
Certainly.
Are all local authorities co-operating in making up this deficit, if there is one?
I cannot say that all local authorities are. I will arrange to supply the Deputy with a list of those local authorities which are and the number of kiosks now covered by this.
Is it a guarantee of the cost of X number of calls? If it were 200 calls and there were only 160 would the council have to pay for the remaining 40? Is that the way it is worked out?
If it falls below a certain point. If it falls below the revenue needed to keep up the kiosk and pay for its construction then the local authority would guarantee to pay for the difference, which would not normally be very much.
26.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will arrange for the erection of a telephone kiosk in Kenure Park, Rush, County Dublin.
It is planned to provide a kiosk to serve the Kenure Park area later this year.
27.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if a telephone kiosk will be provided at Saint Patrick's Villas, Castleconnell, County Limerick.
The existing kiosk at Castleconnell which serves Saint Patrick's Villas is not used to an extent which would justify the provision of a further kiosk in the area.
28.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs why there was no telephone service whatsoever in the Castletownbere area, County Cork, on 24th, 25th and 26th December, 1974.
Telephone service at Castletownbere manual exchange was interrupted from late on 24th December until the morning of 27th December last because the postmaster failed to staff the exchange during that period. Service was, however, maintained on priority lines by switching them through on trunk circuits to Bantry exchange.
Is the Minister aware of the serious inconvenience caused to the residents of Castletownbere, an area where every family has people scattered throughout this country and other countries. The inconvenience and disappointment caused in this peninsula over Christmas is something of which his Department should be very much ashamed.
I fully share the Deputy's concern and I should like to express to those whom he represents the regrets of my Department that this should have happened. I appreciate that the Castletownbere area is an isolated one and that the exchange there serves many important services including seven lighthouses, three doctors, hospital, ambulance and fire services. I should like to say something of how this matter occurred. The postmaster of Castletownbere was one of 15 postmasters in west Clare, Kerry and West Cork who ceased telephone exchange service from 6 p.m. on 24th May until 8 a.m. on 27th May, 1974, in support of a claim by six other postmasters involved relative to the amounts being deducted from their remuneration in respect of the loan of departmental telephonists. That claim, which was under discussion with the Postmasters' Union before the postmasters concerned stopped service, was subsequently settled by agreement. Each of the postmasters who ceased service on that occasion was warned that if he ceased to provide the service again the question of the termination of his employment would arise.
The Minister said "May".
Yes. I am sorry, December.
I did not get from the Minister's reply whether or not his Department had prior notice that this was about to happen.
We did not get official notice ourselves. On Saturday 21st December the postmaster advised the postmaster at Bantry that he was not going to staff the exchange over the Christmas period, and he was warned by letter dated 23rd December that if he did not carry out his duties, the question of terminating his employment would have to be considered. At 11.30 p.m. on 24th December the postmaster withdrew normal services. Over this Christmas period it would not have been practicable for the Department to send staff into the postmaster's premises to staff the exchange.
Could the Minister say what was the loss of revenue to his Department?
I do not know that, but whereas I regret the loss of revenue, the loss of service to the public and the danger to people in the area is an even more serious matter.
The remaining questions will appear on tomorrow's Order Paper.