asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will indicate, area by area in Dublin city and county, the proposed dates of commencement and completion of major telephone cabling installation works in 1981, 1982 and 1983.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Telephone Service.
16.
One of the objectives of the current five-year accelerated telephone development programme is to get into a position by the end of 1984 where all applications for telephone service can be met promptly. Meeting this target, as is planned, will involve extensive cabling works in almost all areas in Dublin city and county over the programme period.
Because of the number of different types of work involved, such as trenching, laying ducts, pulling in cables, jointing and distribution, work is not programmed in a way that would enable the information required to be given on an area by area basis.
Is the Minister using the new electronic subscriber carrying system which can replace a lot of the cabling work he mentioned in his answer?
Which number did the Chair call?
Acting Chairman
I called the next question.
Is the Minister not prepared to reply to my supplementary?
I have read the reply to Question No. 16.
At what level has the Minister started to introduce the subscriber carrier system which can replace a lot of the cabling work in the Department? Has he introduced a single or multi-carrier subscriber system in Dublin? If so, what progress is he making to replace cabling?
This matter is being considered by engineers at very senior level and there are ongoing talks almost weekly. I can assure the Deputy that the part he played in getting this programme off the ground will be accelerated in 1982 and 1983 and hopefully will be completed by 1984.
Is the subscriber carrier system in use in Dublin and around the country?
No.
That is absolute nonsense. When we put down questions we expect truthful answers.
Would the Deputy ask a question, please.
The Deputy did not put down the question.
Stop rushing to the Minister's defence. Will the Minister admit that subscriber carrier systems have been in use in the Department for the last six to eight months on a multi-carrier basis in the country and, when I left office, on a single carrier basis in the city? What nonsense is he trying to tell this House when he says these systems have not yet been introduced?
I understood the Deputy's question to ask if it was being used commonly and it is not. The ex-Minister should know that. If he does not, he is obviously not aware of what is happening in the Department.
Would the Minister admit stocks ran out two months ago?
There is no truth in that.
There was no money to pay for more.
Whose fault was that?
The Department are using so much of this stock that the Minister did not even know it was in use. The Deputy should not try to protect the Minister.
The Deputy is admitting Fianna Fáil left no money.
(Interruptions.)
Deputy Brennan.
Did I understand the Minister to say he was not in a position to give any indication of progress area by area? If so, is he aware of the crying need in the south Dublin area because of the increasing number of housing estates there? Will he give special attention to that part of the city?
I am trying to get an arrangement whereby the local engineer can produce information based on the local telephone exchange area so that Deputies can get an idea of what is happening in those areas, but it is causing problems in this city. There are certain difficulties about it and I do not give any promise that it can be done but we will try to do it for the Deputy.
Is the Minister of State aware of the great needs of estates in south county Dublin?
We were aware of that in Opposition and we are trying to overcome it in Government.
I recognise that there has been a substantial degree of change in development in the Dublin area and in the direction the Minister of State is seeking to move, but I should like to know if it would be possible for him to give an indication to us as to when he might be able to make this information available on the telephone exchanges. Does the Minister hope to have it in the near future or will it be available in the new year?
If I had my way the Deputy would have the information this evening. I am not giving the Deputy a short answer when I say that, but I am asking the Department to produce a new programme whereby this information will be made available to Deputies from all sides.
Is the Minister of State aware that telephone instruments were installed in hundreds of homes in south county Dublin about four months ago but have been sitting in hallways and in sitting rooms unconnected since? That situation exists in spite of the fact that contracts have been signed and deposits paid by those people. Will the Minister have a look at that aspect of the telephone service in south county Dublin? I have received dozens of letters from constituents who have paid their deposit but have not had their new telephones connected. Is the Minister aware that in the Kilternan area of county Dublin the telephone system has been out of order intermittently for long periods of time and that there has been no improvement in the situation? Is the Minister aware also that the only hotel in the district has one telephone connection and that it is intermittently out of order? In spite of all the representations to the Minister's Department, action has not been taken to repair those telephones. The lack of a proper service there is doing great injury and harm to the district.
I sympathise with the points made by Deputy Andrews. I am not aware that telephone instruments have been installed in houses without connections for the last four months. In one such case that was brought to my attention today the telephone instrument was installed last week and I have asked for a full inquiry into it. If the Deputy gives me the information he apparently has, I can assure him that the matter will be fully investigated. On the general position of Dublin city I should like to state that other necessary services were developed to cope with the increase in population, but the former Administration did not recognise the need for the infrastructure for telecommunications and that is what has caused the problem. The laying of cables and the provision of telephone exchanges may not be seen as progress within the Department but a telephone cannot be installed without a cable being laid and a telephone exchange erected first.
£350 million in two years is a lot greater than the Minister of State has done.
At the request of Deputies, Questions Nos. 21, 29, 98, 102, 129, 214, 252, 290, 375 and 494 have gone for written reply.