asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when an automatic telephone service will be provided for the Kilmogany, Windgap, Piltown areas in County Kilkenny; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Telephone Service.
11.
(Dublin South-Central): It is expected that Piltown exchange will be converted to automatic working in 1981. Reliable estimates for conversion of the other two areas cannot be given at present as there is a site acquisition difficulty affecting both.
12.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the number of business applicants for telephone service in County Kilkenny, when a service will be provided for these applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
13.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the number of applicants for telephone service in County Kilkenny; when the applicant who is longest on the application list applied; when a service will be provided and if he will make a statement on the matter.
(Dublin South-Central): With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 13 together.
The number of applicants for telephone service at the exchanges in County Kilkenny is 1,240. These include some 200 business applicants.
Apart from two residence applications received in 1973 and 1974, which were deferred for attention because of the abnormal construction work required to provide service, the earliest applications date from 1975. It is expected that about 400 applicants mostly in the Kilkenny city area, will be given service this year. Because of congestion in Kilkenny trunk exchange on which most of the exchanges in County Kilkenny depend for switching of trunk calls, it is necessary to restrict connections for most areas of County Kilkenny to high priority applications until a new trunk exchange at Kilkenny, the building work for which is in progress, will be installed in about two years time.
14.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the number and the location of all telephone kiosks to be erected in County Galway in 1979.
(Dublin South-Central): In addition to the four kiosks already provided, it is planned to erect a further 21 at the following locations:— Cashel, Castlegar, Clonberne, Cortoon Church, Derrybrien, Derrydonnell, Galway City (6), Kilnaphasrogue, Kylemore, Lettermullen, Maree, Peterswell, Portumna, Rossaveel, Sylane, Tawin.
Did the Minister mention the Bullaun, Loughrea?
(Dublin South-Central): No, Derrybrien and Derrydonald.
15.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when the 1979 Telephone Directory will be delivered to subscribers.
(Dublin South-Central): Part I will be distributed as soon as practicable after resumption of normal postal services.
It is expected that Part II will be distributed in June-July next.
Is the Minister saying that Part I is at the moment ready to be delivered?
(Dublin South-Central): Yes, quite ready.
And that the postal dispute is causing its non-delivery?
(Dublin South-Central): That is so.
Would the Minister not further agree that this is yet another reason why there should be a ministerial initiative from the Department of Posts and Telegraphs to solve the dispute? And would he not agree that it is about time for a ministerial initiative to match the initiative taken this morning by the Leader of the Labour Party?
That is a separate question.
16.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he is aware that because of a delay of two hours in telephone calls from County Donegal to Dublin on Friday 16 February 1979 subscribers were forced to pay double charges on calls which because of the importance had to be dealt with as a matter of urgency and furthermore that in telephoning Dáil Éireann on parliamentary business the cost of the telephone call was also a double charge and can he explain why subscribers in Donegal not on the automatic system are compelled to pay overcharge amounts.
(Dublin South-Central): Ordinary telephone calls made by subscribers in County Donegal are in common with calls made by subscribers in the rest of the county, charged for at normal rates. Where there are delays in making calls over a particular route in any part of the country and a caller requests preferential treatment—in other words to be put in front of the queue—on grounds of particular urgency, the normal operating procedure is to offer to book the call as an “urgent” one at twice the normal rate. The double rate is not applied to distress or to emergency services calls. This procedure is similar to that which applies in telephone services generally. Its purpose is not to secure extra revenue but to relieve operating staff of the impossible task of trying to decide the relative urgency of business or private calls.
Because of a sharp increase in traffic in County Donegal on 16 February, 1979, there were unavoidable delays to calls. Callers, including the Deputy, seeking preferential treatment, were therefore offered the urgent call facilities on the standard basis in such cases.
Has there been any increase in the incidence of the use of the double charge facilities in recent times?
That is a separate question.
(Dublin South-Central): I have not got that information.
Would the Minister agree that if there was it would be an indication of a deterioration in the general standard of service?
(Dublin South-Central): No, on the occasion referred to in the question the number of phone calls from Donegal was particularly heavy and there was a reason for it because there was a strike starting on the following Monday.
Would the Minister look into the question I asked?
(Dublin South-Central): Yes, I will.