asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will retain Mallow telephone exchange, County Cork as the 10 centre for exchanges due for automation in order to provide a better service for local telephone users and thereby avoid a situation whereby thousands of extra new signals would be competing for attention at the already overloaded Cork exchange.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Mallow Telephone Exchange.
13.
Operator services for telephone subscribers in the Mallow area with automatic service are provided at Cork. The manual exchange in Mallow provides service for manual exchanges in the Kanturk charge group and limited services for a number of exchanges in the Rathluirc group. Automatic service will be provided at all of these exchanges during the period 1982-83 and any operator services then required will be provided at Cork or Limerick as appropriate. There will be adequate facilities at these two exchanges to ensure a good operator service and there are not sufficient grounds for retaining Mallow as an operator centre.
Would the Minister agree that Mallow has an exceptionally good case in that in the northern Cork area 11 exchanges are going automatic and will be competing for attention at the 10 centre in Cork, which is totally unsatisfactory? Would the Minister agree that to close this exchange, which has 14 switchboards and 37 operators, would represent a considerable loss to the business, social and financial life of the town? Redundancies would be inevitable and the post office would be downgraded in a town with an expanding population and industry.
As I have told Deputies who have similar problems about exchanges in which they are interested, I have sympathy with the Deputy's concern for the workers in Mallow. The facts presented to me leave me in a very difficult position. I cannot change the decision. If the Deputy or the local staff feel there is an argument to follow, every consideration will be given to it and nothing will be rejected just because the Department say so. It will be considered in conjunction with the needs of the local people.
What guarantee can the Minister give that there will be a satisfactory service in view of the heavy traffic to the 10 centre at present?
The Minister of State will guarantee a lot of sympathy.
That is more than I ever got from the Deputy.
Sympathy is not much use if one loses one's job.
The information provided by engineers is that the 10 service in Cork city will be as efficient as if there was a 10 service in Mallow.