Vol. 305 No. 6
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the total number of hours lost by ordinary subscribers in the Republic between the time a defect in the telephone service was notified to the Department and the service was restored to the subscriber in each of the years 1975, 1976 and 1977.
18.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the average duration in hours between the notification of a defect in the telephone service and its restoration for (a) ordinary (b) industrial or business and (c) privileged subscribers.
19.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the longest recorded interval between the notification of a defect in the telephone service and its restoration under normal conditions.
(Dublin South-Central): I propose with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 17, 18 and 19 together. The precise information sought by the Deputy is not readily available. The following information is indicative of the performance standards of the telephone repair service. Normally nearly 80 per cent of telephone faults are cleared on the day they are reported or on the following day and about 97 per cent are cleared within five days. The remainder are usually faults in underground cables which are often difficult to locate and repair.
Faults in the case of subscribers in priority categories for fault clearance are usually attended to the same day or the following day. The maximum delay in clearing a fault on a non-priority line does not exceed about 15 days in normal conditions.
Would it be possible to get some sort of picture of the number of times telephones go out of order.
(Dublin South-Central): The number of hours?
Could I get some indication as to the quality of the service—how often do telephones go out of order generally speaking? From my own experience it appears to be a very common occurrence. I wondered if it was the same with most other people. What is the experience of the Department? Is it, as is generally believed, a very inefficient telephone service?
(Dublin South-Central): If you take the answer I have given, normally nearly 80 per cent of telephone faults are cleared on the day they are reported or on the following day.
How many times are they reported? How many times do they have to be repaired in a year? That is the important thing.
(Dublin South-Central): I have not got that. Statistics are not kept of the number of hours for each individual fault.
Are there comparative figures for the performance of our Post Office and post offices elsewhere in Europe?
(Dublin South-Central): I have not that information.
That is a separate question.
(Cavan-Monaghan): Could the Minister say how long it will take to clear up the backlog of breakdowns and repairs following the present strike?
(Dublin South-Central): It would be impossible at present to give any estimate of how long this would take. We have no accurate figures of the number of lines out of order. We do not know the extent of the damage because it may possibly involve repairing of cables, which is very slow work. I do not think it would be possible to give any indication but there is no doubt when work is resumed repairs will get priority as against any other type of work.
Are there any comparative statistics for the performance of our telephone service and other telephone services?
(Dublin South-Central): I have not the information here but if it is kept I will make inquiries for the Deputy.
20.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will consider the institution of a system where an appropriate sum is deducted from the rental charge to compensate the subscriber for loss of use of the telephone while it is out of order.
21.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will allow a percentage rebate or credit in respect of the bills of telephone subscribers, who at present are unable to enjoy a satisfactory service due to industrial action.
22.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will grant a pro rata reduction in rental charges, on current quarterly accounts, as a gesture of goodwill towards subscribers, during the current telephone/ telex dispute.
(Dublin South-Central): I propose, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 20, 21 and 22 together.
It is the normal practice of my Department to meet claims for rebate of rental where telephone or telex service has been interrupted or has been subject to frequent intermittent interruption over a period. I regret the extent of the interruptions of service caused by the current industrial dispute and wish to assure Deputies that appropriate rebates will be allowed in all such cases.
Does that mean that individuals who are talking about taking certain action in the High Court do not need to pursue the matter now and will the Minister say how it is intended to estimate the degree of rebate or credit which should be allowed in each case?
(Dublin South-Central): No firm decision has yet been taken on this matter but I should think that where service is non-existent for a number of weeks or months that certainly in such a case rebates or refunds will be allowed.
(Cavan-Monaghan): Would the Minister give an assurance that he is not just talking about a breakdown or curtailment of service where the instrument of a subscriber is out of order because that will not be any good? Will the Minister compensate people who are not able to get other numbers because the service generally is in chaos and has broken down? Will he give an assurance that a person, even if his phone is working, because he cannot contact someone in Limerick, Galway or Dublin—he may be able to get somebody across the road but cannot contact somebody at a distance—will be compensated?
(Dublin South-Central): I could not give an undertaking in that type of situation. I want to say that I sympathise with all people who have suffered inconvenience as a result of the present dispute but we have to be practical in our application where this is concerned. We must remember that a lot of people who very seldom use telephones have to pay rental, for instance old age pensioners. They have still the use of the telephone at their disposal. To try to adjudicate across the board as to who are qualified because they could not get through to some part of the country is a difficult thing to do.
(Cavan-Monaghan): Is the Minister aware that it might even be a blessing to a person if his own telephone is not working at present because he would not be wasting hours of the day trying to be connected with other subscribers whom he cannot get?
Is it not a fact that when a person is paying for a telephone installation in the beginning a contract is signed which guarantees a certain standard and quality of service in return for payment of the bills due? Does it not follow that if the strike affects everybody, as it has done, everybody should be entitled to some consideration in the telephone bill because of the restricted service which is not the service for which he contracted and understood he would get? In other words, has the Minister not a moral and legal obligation to take cognisance of that fact in the telephone bill of every subscriber in the country?
(Dublin South-Central): I do not know what people are affected if they are making calls within their own county.
Question No. 23.
If they want to make calls through the local exchange can they do so, Minister?
The Deputy will please address the Chair. I do not want to encourage argument across the floor. Deputy Griffin wishes to ask a question.
Can we take it for granted that each subscriber in the Twenty-Six Counties will be given this reduction in the rental?
(Dublin South-Central): No.
If not why not?
(Dublin South-Central): Surely the Deputy is aware that there are about 400,000 or 500,000 subscribers.
Every single subscriber is affected.
Does the Minister not realise now the urgency to resolve the dispute and would he now do something about it?
This is another argument.
Would the Minister tell the House what the estimated cost is?
Deputies cannot start asking questions which have already been discussed. I am calling Question No. 23.
I asked what the estimated cost of reduction would be.
(Dublin South-Central): I cannot give any indication at this time. I do not know exactly how many claims there will be. Each one will have to be looked at. It would be impossible at this time to give an indication of it.
Surely the Minister could give an across-the-board allowance.
