Vol. 512 No. 3
69 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Public Enterprise the legislative proposals, if any, she has to introduce any form of consumer protection or scheme of compensation for users of licensed telecommunications services who suffer loss of service and system failure; and the protection, if any, which exists. [25936/99]
70 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if she has assessed the effect on businesses of the collapse of the Eircom phone system on 19 November 1999; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25047/99]
117 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Enterprise the report, if any, she has received on technical hitches in telecommunications infrastructure; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26251/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 69, 70 and 117 together.
The Deputy will recall that I have outlined recently to the House the considerable concern of the Government that a significant interruption of telecommunications services occurred on 19 November. I am aware of reports that it caused problems for many businesses as well as other telephone users.
My Department have been in contact with Eircom and I have also met the chairman of Eircom to convey the Government's concern over what occurred. I have been informed by the company that it has undertaken a full review of its network with the help of its suppliers to identify the necessary actions to take in order to ensure that it does not happen again. I also understand that Eircom's suppliers have modified their testing procedures to ensure that the fault which caused the breakdown does not happen again.
Providers of telecommunications services are subject to the general law relating to the supply of services and it is a matter for users of such services to avail themselves of the remedies available under the law in respect of losses suffered by them.
