asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if, in view of the isolated nature of Cahermore Post Office in the Beara peninsula, and of the necessity for a telephone there to get both medical and spiritual assistance, he will consider granting priority to this installation.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Telephones for Post Offices.
I would first refer the Deputy to my reply of the 5th instant to a previous question by Deputy O'Donnell concerning the installation of a public telephone in a rural post office. As it is hoped to complete the work of providing telephones in all sub-post offices still without them by next year, I have decided not to interfere with the engineering programme by directing that any sub-post office should be given priority attention.
Maybe I misjudged the Minister when he stated here that, if there were isolated post offices where the needs of the people, either for medical or spiritual attention, were of an extremely aggravated nature, he would consider them specially. It was on that basis that I put the question.
I would be glad to help the Deputy, but I discovered there were 20 cases where the conditions were more aggravating. If I were to give aid to all of them, the whole programme would be delayed, with no advantage to any of them.