asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the reason for the long delay in the processing of telephone installations in the Swinford area, County Mayo.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Telephone Services.
11.
I would refer the Deputy to my answer to a somewhat similar question by him on 6th November. The accommodation difficulty to which I then referred has since been resolved and work on the installation of the extra switchboards needed to enable extra lines to be connected will begin in about a fortnight. It is expected that work on clearance of the waiting applications will commence, following installation of the extra switchboards and completion of an underground cabling scheme, in about four months.
Would the Minister say why there has been such a delay in transferring two telephones from one part of the town to another?
I do not know what the Deputy is referring to. I think he is aware of the reason for the delay referred to in the question —a general delay in the processing of telephone installations by reason of the objection of the former postmistress to make the required additional accommodation available. The new postmistress is willing and the work will now proceed. If the Deputy wishes information on individual applications, he can communicate with me.
How can the Minister reconcile his reply with the answers I received in a number of letters which refer to the very heavy volume of engineering work to be done and that it will be a considerable time before the installation can take place?
There is no incompatibility between the two answers. A delay was caused by the unwillingness of the previous postmistress in this matter and now the completion of the work in some cases requires abnormal line work. There are many reasons why the pace of development in these matters may be——
May I take it from the Minister that the outstanding applications will be cleared in the near future?
It is hoped to clear the 1973 and most of the 1974 applications and half of those of 1975 at the end of this year and the balance in 1977.
12.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will make off-peak telephone time financially more attractive in order to ease the pressure on peak times.
In the present financial position of the Department the suggestion in the question could be favourably considered only on the basis of increasing the charges for busy hour telephone calls, the bulk of which are made for business purposes. No. action is, therefore, proposed at present but the question of adjustment of charges as between busy and non-busy periods is under consideration by my Department with a view to possible future changes in this regard.
Would the Minister agree that in other countries where the differential has been increased downwards, particularly in the UK, it has worked very successfully to give a better service to business people during business hours? Surely the Minister is not serious that after all he has taken out of the postal service by way of recent increased charges, he can only adjust this thing upwards in order to create a differential? As they say in Dublin, "You must be jokin' ".
My Department's advice is, and I think the Deputy as a former Minister will agree that the Department's advice in these matters requires serious consideration, that the Deputy's suggestion if adopted would help to divert traffic from peak to non-peak periods. As a 33? per cent reduction has been given already, any further reduction would need to be fairly substantial to be effective. It is considered that the considerable loss in revenue which would result would not be made good by extra traffic in the off-peak periods and that it would be necessary in order to offset the loss to increase the charges during peak hours, and we could not consider this course favourably at this stage. As I informed the Deputy, the matter is being kept under careful consideration.
Would the Minister not agree that it could be productive to justify a reduction in the off-peak period in that a great many people who cannot now get a call through would be able to have their calls made and it would generate revenue anyhow?
My Department are not satisfied that the changes would have that effect at present, but the matter is being kept under review.