Of course, and An Post and Bord Telecom Éireann are also involved. After nearly six months of the operation of An Post and Bord Telecom Éireann, I thought that the Minister would have outlined developments to date and the progress in these areas since 1 January 1984. It gave the Minister and the Government an opportunity to make a statement regarding developments since vesting date.
I am very proud of the fact that An Post and Bord Telecom Éireann have been very successful since 1 January 1984. Fianna Fáil take great pride in the fact that they initiated the Postal and Telecommunications Services Bill, 1982, which started the process of setting up these two boards. It must be a record that, after less than six months in operation, this Bill had to be amended. That is regrettable because the Bill was discussed here on many occasions and I would have expected the Chief State Solicitor and his staff to foresee the difficulties in relation to sections which we are amending today. Naturally, we must allow for human error but, in a Bill of such importance, a section dealing with the legality and questions of claims was of paramount importance and should have been gone into in far more detail because of the serious implications for people who have claims against the State and those organisations. I remember that we had time problems on Committee Stage and perhaps this was why we did not pay as much attention to those sections as we should have done.
I wish to express my appreciation to the 30,000 employees of the former Department of Posts and Telegraphs at which I had the honour or serving as a Minister of State for about nine months in 1982. Those employees willingly transferred to both these boards and made a very successful transition from Civil Service status to semi-State status. It has been the most phenomenal change in the status of any employees here since the foundation of the State. It is heartening that so many were prepared to place their trust in the Government and the Opposition by relinquishing their rights as civil servants and transferring them to the care of two semi-State organisations. Their trust has been appreciated. The chairman of the board was responsive to the wishes of the staff over that period and, as the spokesman on this matter for Fianna Fáil, I received very few complaints, if any, from the staff of both of these boards in regard to their conditions. I am very pleased about that, because had major problems been brought to my attention I would have believed it necessary to put down amendments to this Bill to give any further protection necessary or highlight problems brought to my attention. However, I have not received any major complaints in regard to conditions of employment in the case of either board. I am delighted about that because on both sides of this House we were more than anxious to reassure the workers that they would be treated fairly. Indeed, the two organisations have been abundantly conscious of their responsibilities in this regard.
I shall deal first with An Post. It has major responsibility in regard to postal matters and I believe the work has been carried out in a responsible manner. Would the Minister be able to give me information about the quality of delivery since the effective date? He may not have that information available but I would appreciate it if at some stage he furnished me with that information. We were proud of our record in regard to delivery. I believe the situation has steadily improved and I hope it will improve still further in the future. In the first phase of the establishment of An Post the one penny stamp was launched. I believe this offer increased public awareness of our excellent postal service. The Saint Patrick's Day card was very much appreciated by the general public.
I expressed concern at the time from the point of view of the producers of the normal Saint Patrick's Day cards. They were seriously disadvantaged as a result of this offer. As far as I was concerned personally, I welcomed the principle of the special offer. That card brought greetings to every corner of the world and it increased the status of our national holiday. I received correspondence from as far away as Nigeria where missionery priests were delighted to receive greetings on Saint Patrick's Day from their friends and relatives at home. I believe this created a great deal of goodwill for our national holiday. Sometimes I think we do not recognise as we should our great national holiday. In fact, it seems to be better recognised in the United States of America. We should do everything possible to establish the importance of our great national holiday, and I express my concern now about the producers of cards and I recommend that in 1985 alongside the special card offer there should be a special Saint Patrick's Day stamp brought out yearly to enable people to post cards to any corner of the world at reasonable cost. I believe there would be a great response from the public. I believe there would be a great response from the producers of such cards.
I received a communication from the Minister on 25 April in response to a question I asked here during the debate on the Estimate for the Department on 29 March. I will quote from the letter since it is relevant: "The company is, understandably concerned about ways of stimulating postal traffic and the introduction of a special Saint Patrick's Day greeting card was successful in generating substantial extra traffic. It cannot have been altogether without advantage to the retailers and others interested in greeting cards that the public's interest should have been stimulated in this way. It would be a pity if a negative view were to be taken of what most people regarded as a praiseworthy initiative, but I would expect An Post to exercise care so as not to be accused for good cause of unfair trading in this area. You expressed the view that it would be more appropriate for An Post to offer cheaper postage rates to mark special occasions rather than to go into the business of selling greeting cards. I have had this suggestion transmitted to An Post for consideration." Arising from that the chairman of the board, Mr. Fergal Quinn, issued a statement recently, which the Minister may confirm at some stage, if not today, that for the Christmas trade An Post will certainly not bring forward special Christmas card offers but I would hope An Post would provide at least a special stamp with the Madonna and Child for the Christmas period at a reasonable price. I would suggest 15p for open Christmas cards.
I have a local vested interest in this area because adjoining my home in Roscommon we have the Divine Word Missionaries who are well known for the production of that excellent magazine. Last Christmas they produced 2,000,000 Irish Christmas cards. This Christmas they hope to produce 2.5 million cards. If An Post provided pre-stamped Christmas cards that would put that organisation into jeopardy. It would also put the future of the staff in jeopardy, and in our area we certainly need to retain all the employment we have. I do not wish to throw cold water on the progress being made by An Post. I thoroughly approve of their developing ideas. I suggest that they should provide a special stamp and, if such an announcement were made in the very near future, I have been told that would lead to an increased production of Christmas cards to enable people to avail of the special offer, an offer which should generate extra demand during the Christmas period. I would appeal to the Minister to place those views before An Post and I sincerely hope they will be taken into consideration.
In regard to the response to representations from public representatives, I have received complaints from colleagues in regard to a lack of response, particularly in relation to personnel matters. I appreciate that An Post are anxious to keep political influence out of appointments. I fully accept that. That is in accordance with their regulations, but I believe that if a constituent approaches a TD or a Senator and he in turn puts those views to the board in the proper manner he should at least be responded to in a responsible and proper manner. We will be putting forward the views of our constituents.
Recently I made representations in relation to a genuine case in my constituency. A postman was reaching retiring age but, due to family circumstances, he was seeking an extension. When I was in the Department, if that type of case came before the Minister, where possible he would treat it in a humane fashion and give an extension of six or nine months, or whatever was necessary, to allow the man to complete the education of his children, or because he would be disadvantaged by having to retire while he still had a young family.
The response I received from An Post was that they will not entertain representations on behalf of personnel, that it is a matter for the person and the board. I was doing my duty as a public representative and conveying the views of my constituents to the appropriate personnel people. I and others should be responded to in a manner which would indicate that our views were being considered. That may be a small point to An Post. They are trying to build up goodwill. I am relating my experience and the experience of my colleagues who have serious complaints about representations.
Deputies who were so willing to hand over complete power for postal matters should be given recognition for the role we play in conveying the views of our constituents to an organisation like An Post. I ask the Minister to convey the concern of Deputies to An Post. I hope the press will not use this as an effort by politicians to influence appointments. I understand that in An Post and Bord Telecom Éireann there has been a change of strategy on that matter. Our position should be still recognised at least to the extent that our views should be considered by the appropriate sections in a responsible way and they should communicate with us.
On the philatelic side of An Post, we are missing a great opportunity with the forthcoming visit of President Reagan and his wife Nancy to Ireland in June. Perhaps An Post have decided to bring out a special commemorative stamp. If not, it would be a major coup to bring out a commemorative stamp to recognise the visit of the President of the largest democracy in the world to our shores. I suggest that from a commercial point of view as well as for the honour it would give to a visiting President. From my experience, the philatelic section were making a profit of £1 million, which was a major achievement for that section. They also create a great deal of goodwill throughout the world. Irish stamps are very highly regarded for their quality of design and production. We are regarded as being very responsible about the production of stamps. Some countries produce far more stamps, but the quality and the frequency of ours are recognised by the people in the philatelic world. We should remember the market we would have in America if, while the President was here, we had a first day launching in Dublin or in Ballyporeen on the day President Reagan visits that great town.
I am sure the Leas-Cheann Comhairle would support such a proposal. It could recognise the birth place of the President's ancestors in Ballyporeen and could be accompanied by portraits of the President and his good wife. I know it takes time to produce stamps and that you have to plan ahead. This would be an opportunity to avail of this great publicity coup. Goodwill would be generated and sales of stamps would be generated which would bring worthwhile money into the country. We should at least consider that suggestion. I am sure the Minister agrees with me fully. I know that, unlike some of his colleagues in Government, he supports the visit of the President of the United States and his wife.
Last March I was promised that consideration would be given to another matter. I put down a question in the Dáil on 28 April 1983 to the then Minister for Posts and Telegraphs:
To ask the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he proposes to extend the postal bus service which was introduced in County Clare in July 1982 to other parts of the country.
In his reply the Minister stated:
It is the intention to extend the post bus service to other parts of the country and arrangements are in hand to identify suitable routes on which services may be introduced. However, progress will depend on the availability of financial resources.
I would appreciate it if the Minister would up-date the progress made in the development of the post bus service which we introduced in County Clare in 1982. It has given a major boost to that part of the world. I am very anxious to see it extended to other areas. I can identify very suitable routes in my constituency which would be excellent for a post bus service. It provides a tremendous service to the elderly and to people who have no transport. The service passes their doors practically every day of the week. It is a paying service. It has paid its way to date so far as I am aware. It is a matter of utilising existing services for the transport of mail and people.
I welcome the proposals to extend the banking facilities throughout the postal service. We have a very willing staff who are more than anxious to facilitate customers by extending the banking service. We have 2,000 sub-offices located in almost every village in Ireland. The staff are trained, willing and able to participate in these exciting new developments. The board are considering major developments in that regard.
I would appreciate it if the Minister would give a progress report on developments in Board Telecom Éireann since vesting date. I should like to know the number of telephones which have been installed since 1 January 1984 and the number of outstanding faults which have not been attended to. That was a major difficulty, particularly in the city of Dublin where there were delays of up to two months in having repairs carried out. I hope there has been a major improvement in that regard. We were heading that way with the improvement in the wiring in the system of communications. I should like a progress report on that in the very near future.
I must express concern about the telephone billing system. I will take every opportunity in this House to highlight the complaints of the public about the billing system. The Minister should allay public disquiet about the system. In the course of the debate on the Estimates in March the Minister promised me further information which I received about the points and the complaints I raised. The major point I made was that there should be a public inquiry into the telephone billing system where the public, the aggrieved subscribers, who had received very little satisfaction over the years, would have an opportunity to make known their feelings about the telephone billing system. The Minister wrote to me on 25 April 1984. I will quote it because I would like to have it on the record of the House. He said:
During the Debate on 29th March on the Estimate for my Department, you expressed concern about the reliability and accuracy of the telephone billing system and raised a number of questions about it.
I know that Bord Telecom Éireann are very conscious of the need to increase customer confidence in the billing system and that they will take all reasonable action open to them with this in mind. I will bring what you said on this subject to their attention.
You referred to the provision of private meters which telephone users can instal in their homes to check the number of units being recorded and asked what was the position about these . These meters are available for some time and I am informed by Bord Telecom Éireann that agreements have been entered into for the supply of a few hundred of them.
You asked that the consultancy report on the telephone billing system which I had commissioned should be made available to Deputies and enquired why foreign consultants were employed. The question of publishing the report is under consideration at present. To carry out the examination needed required a detailed technical knowledge of the operation of the telecommunications network and, for this, some experience of the operation of a telecommunications system was essential. It was for this reason, and also because the Swedish network is similar in many respects to that in use here and has a high international reputation for efficiency, that I selected a firm of Swedish international telecommunications consultants.
You also referred to the "open days" that were held in some exchanges last year and suggested that it would be helpful if individual subscribers with complaints were shown their own metering equipment and could discuss their problems with a technically qualified person. I will bring this to the notice of Board Telecom Éireann for consideration by them.
Arising from that reply, and the debate in the Dáil, I should like to ask the Minister to identify the number of private meters that have been installed. We have been waiting for information in regard to this for some time. While I was in the Department we were pressing for the completion of the production of those private meters because I believe they will allay the fears of those who are concerned about their telephone accounts. I am anxious to get more information on the number installed. Has even one meter been installed? If one has been installed I would like to hear how it has operated. I do not know of any subscriber who has looked for such a meter.
Will the Minister of State tell the House why the report of the Swedish consultants has not been published? What is so secret about a report commissioned by the Government? Why is the report being suppressed? It is a major report on the telephone billing system. Is there something in the report that the Minister, and the Government, are ashamed of? The report should be made public so that subscribers can analyse its conclusions. The public are deeply concerned about the major increase in their telephone accounts and the big errors that have occurred. About 12 months ago I expressed the view that about 40,000 accounts were queried annually by subscribers. There must be something radically wrong if so many people are querying their accounts. Will the Minister tell the House the number of accounts that have been queried to date in 1984? Will he inform the House of the amount of money that is allegedly outstanding to Telecom Éireann on accounts that have been queried? I suggest to the Minister that he take a personal interest in this area. I do not see any reason why the bills cannot be produced on a twomonthly basis giving a breakdown of the calls made. If that was done subscribers would know the cost of each call and would be in a position to query any charge.
The only way to deal properly with this matter is to hold a public inquiry and I would hope that it would not be a long drawn-out affair. It is my view that there are many good firms in Ireland who would have been capable of carrying out a detailed examination of the billing system as was done by the Swedish firm. However, as the Exchequer paid for this report a copy of it should be placed in the Library so that Members can study it.
I appeal to the Minister to renew the policy of holding open days at local exchanges. Subscribers should be made aware of such events and invited to call to the exchanges to inspect their meter working. Many people are not aware of how the system operates and because of that they are wary of it. In the interest of good customer relations Telecom Éireann should hold such open days. During the debate on the Estimate we were told that the question of consultation with elected public representatives was being considered. It would be a worthwhile exercise if the local engineering staff met public representatives to discuss the development of the communication service, consider plans for the future and deal with local complaints.
I welcome the provision of automatic exchanges throughout the country. In Boyle, the northern part of my constitutency, after a long wait a new automatic exchange was opened yesterday. That move has been welcomed by local people. With regard to communications with Members I should like to state that the response to representations to Telecom Éireann is excellent. I do not have any complaints about that area. Queries are dealt with in a speedy manner. Local engineers also deal with queries quickly. That is an important public relations exercise and I should like to compliment the staff who deal with those queries.
The decision by Telecom Éireann to remove the need for an advance payment of rental from subscribers was one of the best taken by them since they took over on 1 January. People in rural areas were asked to pay up to £1,000 in advance rental before that date. The installation fee of £180 is high, but it is better to have an installation fee rather than asking people to pay an advance rental also. I have no doubt that many more people will be anxious to get a telephone because of that.
At the annual conference of the Irish Post Office Engineering Union fears were expressed about radiation from communications systems. According to The Irish Press of 17 May 1984 fears that Telecom engineers may be in danger of blindness or even death because of radiation from a communications system used by the firm were expressed at the conference. An article in The Irish Press stated:
Delegates adopted a motion, calling on Telecom to implement safety regulations for the use of microwaves in relaying telephone messages.
The proposer of the motion claimed, according to The Irish Press that:
there had been a serious leakage from a microwave transmitter in Donegal recently and called for a lowering of the acceptable level of microwave radiation. He pointed out that the level in Russia was much less than it is in Ireland and the USA.
Mr. Quinn [the proposer] also called for proper screening of microwave terminals, and regular testing of all equipment used by engineers to check for leakage.
In the past few years, he said, microwaves had been used extensively in relaying telephone messages, being cheaper than cabling and needing fewer staff.
Mr. Quinn referred to US research which shows that microwave radiation can cause blindness, alter behaviour, cause genetic defects, or even kill. Workers exposed to radiation should be given a full medical examination, he said.
According to Mr. Quinn, there are only two meters in Ireland for measuring such leakages, and one of these has broken down.
I ask the Minister and Bord Telecom Éireann first of all to issue a statement to allay fears in relation to the points made at the Irish Telephone Workers Union (Engineering Branch) conference. The points made raised certain fears and queries and I am not in a position to allay those fears. The Minister and the BTE should issue a statement immediately in relation to the disclosures in today's The Irish Press and other newspapers about this very serious question. Anybody who recently attended a film about leakages from other installations will realise the danger inherent in this area. I do not want to increase the fears of workers involved in this area, but I believe that BTÉ have a responsibility to their staff to indicate the exact position regarding the dangers and also to reply to the question of the necessary equipment and to inform them that there is at the moment only one piece of metering equipment to detect leakages. I appeal to the Minister to communicate this information to BTÉ, although I presume they have it already, so that they may be in a position to express their opinion and also give a detailed reply to the points made.
We should be proud of the developments in BTÉ and An Post since 1 January. We have an extremely dedicated, hard-working staff who have brought great credit to both services. In the next few weeks we will be in a position to show clearly to the whole world how advanced our telephone service in particular is. With the visit here of the President of the US the entourage of journalists and staff will be using international telephone lines constantly. We are fortunate in having the station in Cork which the Minister of State, Deputy Nealon, opened recently. We will show clearly that we are advanced in the telecommunications area. Our service, with the investment which has taken place over the years under our Government in particular — because we are conscious of the need for improvement in telecommunications which has now been achieved — will prove to the visiting journalists that we can provide high class, top quality land lines and satellite lines for immediate transmission of television, radio and telephone communications to all corners of the globe for the visit of the President of the US.
In that regard let me place on record my appreciation and that of Deputies on this side of the House and Ministers who serve in the Department of Posts and Telegraphs to the American postal and communications service, the postal service in particular, who made available to the Department of Posts and Telegraphs the advanced research facilities which they have in Washington DC. One of the reasons why I welcome the President of the US is that America at all times has co-operated with our Government in relation to the development of postal and telecommunications matters. As I have stated already, I had the privilege of attending at the research facilities in Washington DC and seeing the facilities there which were made available at low cost to our Department of Posts and Telegraphs to develop our postal services. That is the kind of co-operation we have received from America which I have had the personal experience of witnessing. We, as an independent Republic, should give a royal welcome to the President of another great Republic. With the connection between us and 40 million Irish-Americans and the great hospitality which has been extended by America to visiting Ministers of Posts and Telegraphs over the years and which will continue, it would be very wrong of us not to give a similar welcome to the President of the US. I mention that particularly in the context of the type of co-operation which we received from Mr. William Bolger, Postmaster-General in the US, and all his staff who at all times extended to us great courtesy. In that regard let me mention that a very high percentage of very senior executives in the American Post Office are of Irish descent. That is why it is very important that we extend great courtesy by recognising the visit in a philatelic way by producing a special commemorative stamp.
We support the amendments to the Bill before us because of the need from a legal point of view that the Bill be enacted. I support the Bill. I regret that it had to be brought before the House, but at least it has given me an opportunity of expressing some concern which I have in relation to the President of the US.
