asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when his Department will be in a position to provide telephone service for the eight houses in Claremont Estate, Glasnevin, Dublin, which were apparently by-passed when telephones were installed in the remainder of the estate.
Written Answers. - Telephone Service.
332.
Service cannot be provided for some 19 applicants in this estate pending provision of necessary cabling. It is expected that cable to provide service to about ten applicants will be provided within the next six months and cable for the rest will be provided as soon as possible after that.
333.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs whether the public telephone kiosk at Claremont, Glasnevin, Dublin will be moved in the near future from the entrance to the estate to a more central location.
It is not planned to resite the kiosk at Claremont Court at present.
334.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs (a) the number of applicants for telephone service in the Clara area, County Offaly, at present, (b) the number of applicants indicating the date of application who will be provided with service in the near future and (c) the number and dates of applications of those who will not get service.
335.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs whether any additional underground cabling work was completed recently in the Clara area, County Offaly; and the districts which the cabling will serve.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take questions Nos. 334 and 335 together.
An underground cabling scheme was completed recently to serve the Clara, County Offaly, telephone exchange area. This enables service to be provided to all waiting applicants in the area — about 60. Arrangements are in train to give service to about 25 1979 applicants and it is expected that a further 30 1980 applicants will be offered service within the next three months or so. The five 1981 applicants on hands should be offered service by the end of this year.
336.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if, in view of the facts of a case (details supplied) in Dublin, priority has been granted for the supply of a telephone; and when a telephone will be connected.
The applicant concerned is being afforded a measure of priority. Provision of service is, however, dependent on a cabling scheme which, because of the volume of engineering work on hands at present, is unlikely to be undertaken for at least a year.
337.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if a telephone service can be supplied in a case (details supplied) in Dublin as a matter of urgency, as the applicant has been waiting over two-and-a-half years, and if he is aware that the absence of a telephone is severely jeopardising the applicant's business.
The application referred to is for a residential line. Service is dependent on the provision of additional cabling which, because of the volume of engineering work awaiting attention in the Dublin area, is unlikely to be completed until about a year's time.
338.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the reason night service was withdrawn from a telephone number (details supplied) in County Meath in view of the fact that the subscriber is a plant engineer with a major industry and that he must be on call at all times.
Night service has not been withdrawn from this number. Unfortunately there have been serious maintenance problems with some of the circuits from Rathmolyon to Dublin in recent months and a reliable night service, which is provided from Dublin has not been available to some Rathmolyon subscribers as a result. I regret very much the inconvenience caused.
It is proposed to transfer night service for the number concerned to a different Rathmolyon-Dublin circuit next week. Separately, plans are in hands to provide an alternative routing via Enfield for Rathmolyon-Dublin traffic and to transfer the night service to Enfield. It is hoped to complete these works by the end of April.