Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 10 Jun 1993

Vol. 432 No. 2

Written Answers. - Telephone Communications.

Eamon Gilmore

Question:

102 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications if he intends to make any special arrangements for the handicapped such as the deaf persons who communicate by phone using a minicom and whose telephone calls are necessarily longer then normal as they will face particular hardships as a result of his decision to raise the cost of local telephone calls.

Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications (Mr. Cowen)

I have no statutory responsibilities for making special arrangements for the handicapped who communicate by phone. The Deputy will appreciate that as telephone charges are standard it is not possible for Telecom Éireann to make a distinction between one category of customer and another.