asked the Minister for Defence whether he is satisfied that all priority trunk telephone calls put through by Army personnel relate exclusively to urgent defence matters; and, if not, whether he will direct that priority is not to be claimed for any messages except those originating with officers above a determined rank, in order to avoid unnecessary delays on trunk telephone circuits serving the mercantile community and general public.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Trunk Telephone Service.
Existing regulations governing the procedure to be followed in the matter of telephone calls permit of calls being treated as priority calls only when the subject for discussion is of vitally urgent importance or where prior instructions have been issued to deal with certain messages by such method. As priority must depend on the nature of the message and not on the rank of the caller, it would not be feasible to confine priority facilities to officers above a specific rank.