Vol. 517 No. 6
278 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Health and Children the sections of the Department which restrict the time available to take calls form the public; the length of time this has been ongoing; the nature of the restrictions; the proposals, if any, he has to remedy this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10757/00]
There are no sections in the Department of Health and Children which restrict the time available to take calls from the public. Direct dial facilities are in operation to allow members of the public to make return calls direct to the individual dealing with their query without having to go through the switchboard. For those people who reside outside the 01 area a local number is available for those wishing to contact the Department. In addition a virtual private network phone system allows easy transfer of calls both to other Government Departments and to health agencies on this network.
