asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when a person (name supplied) in Dublin applied for a telephone; why it has not been installed; and if, in view of the fact that the applicant is an elderly invalid often alone, he will arrange for immediate installation.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Telephone Service.
30.
The application in question was made on 8th January, 1973, but it has not been attended to because there has been a shortage of equipment at the local exchange which is unlikely to be remedied until the end of the year. No medical evidence has been submitted to the Department in support of the application. If this is done I shall have the case re-examined.
Is the Minister saying that he requires medical evidence regarding age and disability?
Yes, I think so. When this application was made it was an ordinary straightforward application. No evidence was submitted with the application to say that special circumstances were involved. If that evidence is now submitted to the Minister he will have the case re-examined in the light of the evidence.
Before we raise the hopes of the lady who has applied for the telephone, will the Minister indicate if his sympathetic consideration of this case might lead to her getting the telephone?
The Deputy may be assured of the Minister's sympathetic consideration for every applicant who is unduly delayed.
What is the essence of the Minister's sympathetic consideration? He may indicate he is sympathetic but while I tell the applicant of his sympathetic consideration may I also tell her that she will get a telephone?
The Deputy would be unwise to do that. Whether she is treated as a priority case will depend on the evidence submitted. I could not make any promise on the Minister's behalf until the evidence has been submitted.
That is a rather airy-fairy way of treating the case.
That is unjust.
31.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will arrange for the provision of telephones at the taxi ranks situated at Finglas and Ballymun, Dublin.
Arrangements are already in train to provide telephones at the locations in question. It is hoped to provide them within the next three months or so.
32.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when a telephone will be installed for a person (name supplied) in County Cork.
It is expected to provide service for the applicant in question by about the end of August next.
33.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the up-to-date waiting list for telephones in each area in north County Dublin; and when he expects to meet these commitments.
There are about 1,910 applications awaiting telephone service in the seven exchange areas in north County Dublin, as follows : Swords 600; Malahide 880; Skerries 210; Balbriggan 85; Rush 100; Ballyboughal 15; Garristown 20.
It is hoped to clear the greater part of the Swords and Ballyboughal applications, about 400, by the end of this year, the remainder of the Swords applications, the greater part of the Malahide, Balbriggan, Rush and Garristown applications and also the earlier Skerries applications, about 1,330, in 1976, and the remainder of the Skerries applications, about 180, early in 1977.
According to the Minister's reply there are nearly 2,000 applications for telephones in the north County Dublin area which the Minister selected. However, there are other areas that are also in need of telephones: there is the entire suburban area from Donaghmede, Grangemore, Donahies, Darndale——
Will the Deputy please put a supplementary question? This is Question Time.
At least another 2,000 people are looking for telephones and this number would be doubled if people thought there was a chance of getting them. The situation is that they do not bother applying for telephones.
The Deputy is engaging in an argument. I am calling Question No. 34.
34.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the total number of applicants on the waiting list for telephones in Dublin city and county.
Some 20,000 on 31st March last of which 4,200 were having attention.
35.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the total number of applicants on the waiting list for telephones in the Leixlip-Maynooth area, County Kildare.
36.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when applicants on the waiting list for telephones in the Leixlip-Mavnooth area, County Kildare will be facilitated.
I propose with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 35 and 36 together.
There are about 390 waiting applications for telephones in the Leixlip-Maynooth areas. It is expected that service will be provided for about 170 of these within the next three months and for the remainder in 1977 after exchange and underground cabling schemes have been completed.
37.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will arrange for the installation of a telephone connection for an applicant (name supplied) in County Dublin.
Installation of a telephone cannot be arranged at present because of shortage of exchange equipment and of underground cable. It is expected that the application will be attended to in the first half of next year.
This particular application has been on the books for some considerable time and the applicant is very much involved in charitable work, such as meals on wheels, with which he is very much involved, and I would ask the Minister to give special consideration to this case and raise it from its present position of early next year to before the end of this year.
I will communicate the Deputy's request to the Minister.
38.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when a telephone will be installed for a person in County Limerick (name supplied) who applied two years ago.
It is hoped to instal a telephone for the person named, who applied in January, 1974, by the end of the year.
39.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when a telephone will be installed for a person (name supplied) in County Wicklow.
It is hoped to instal a telephone for the person named early next year.
When was application made in this case?
In January, 1974.
40.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when a telephone will be installed for a person in County Donegal (name supplied).
It is hoped to instal a telephone for the person named by the end of August next.
41.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will provide a public telephone for Balscadden, County Dublin.
It is assumed that the Deputy's question refers to Balscadden, Ring Common, County Dublin. Kiosks are not being provided in rural areas such as Balscadden where there is no post office.
42.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will provide a telephone for the Fingerpost, Malahide area, County Dublin.
Kiosks are not being provided in rural areas such as Fingerpost where there is no post office.
We have had the same reply to two questions. Why are telephones not being provided? Surely the very fact that these are rural areas isolated from urban centres of population means that they should have some priority where communication is concerned in the event of emergencies?
It is the policy of the Department not to provide telephone kiosks where there is no post office.
The policy of the Department does not make it right. Surely these areas should have priority from the point of view of contacting doctors or emergency services.
I should imagine that, if the Deputy puts down a question next week to the Minister, he will get an answer as to why this is the policy of the Department. All I can tell the Deputy is kiosks are not being provided in areas in which there is no post office. That is the information I have.
43.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the reason for the two-year delay in installing a telephone for a person in Galway (name supplied).
The application was made in February, 1974. Service could not be provided until a large main cabling scheme and a rearrangement of local cables was completed. It is hoped to instal the telephone by the end of this week.
44.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when a telephone will be provided for an applicant in County Wicklow (details supplied).
It is hoped to provide a telephone for the applicant named during the period October-December next.
45.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when a telephone will be provided for an applicant in Dublin (name supplied).
It is hoped to provide a telephone for the applicant named during the next three to four months.
46.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the number of applicants for telephones in the Blessington-Kilbride areas of County Wicklow; and when telephones will be provided for them.
There are about 60 waiting applications for telephone service in the Blessington-Kilbride areas. It is hoped to provide telephones for most of them by the end of this year.
47.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when applicants for telephones from the Rathcoole, Saggart and Newcastle areas in County Dublin will be facilitated.
48.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the number of applicants on the waiting list for telephones from the Rathcoole, Saggart and Newcastle areas, County Dublin.
I propose with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 47 and 48 together.
There are about 65 waiting applications for telephone service in the Rathcoole, Saggart and Newcastle areas. About 20 of those will be met within the next three months and it is hoped to meet a further 20 by the end of this year. It is expected to clear the balance progressively during 1976.
49.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the number of new telephones installed in each county in 1973 and 1974; and the estimated number to be installed in 1975.
The particulars requested are not available on a county basis. With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to circulate a tabular statement giving the particulars for each of the eight engineering districts with an indication of the counties in each district.
Following is the statement:
|
Engineering District |
Telephones* installed 1973 |
Telephones* installed 1974 |
Forecast of telephones* to be installed 1975 |
Counties in District |
|
O1 Area |
12,850 |
12,700 |
13,000 |
Dublin and parts of Wicklow, Kildare and Meath. |
|
Cork |
3,350 |
3,200 |
4,500 |
Cork and part of Waterford. |
|
Drogheda |
2,650 |
2,700 |
3,300 |
Louth, Monaghan, Longford and parts of Meath, Westmeath and Cavan. |
|
Galway |
1,700 |
1,900 |
2,600 |
Galway and parts of Mayo, Roscommon, Westmeath and Offaly. |
|
Limerick |
2,900 |
4,250 |
4,100 |
Limerick, Clare, Kerry and part of Tipperary. |
|
Portlaoise |
2,000 |
2,000 |
2,500 |
Laois, Carlow and parts of Kildare, Wicklow, Offaly and Tipperary. |
|
Sligo |
1,550 |
1,550 |
1,800 |
Sligo, Donegal, Leitrim and parts of Mayo, Roscommon and Cavan. |
|
Waterford |
2,500 |
2,400 |
3,400 |
Wexford, Kilkenny and parts of Cork, Tipperary and Wicklow. |
*Exchange lines.