They should tender at a price that will pay them. Not many questions were raised about the postal service and I hope that is an indication that it is giving general satisfaction. Some Deputies referred to the use of motor scooters and motor cycles by postmen. First, I should explain there is no ban on the use by postmen of their own motor transport. They are allowed to use cars, motorised bicycles or motor cycles on delivery, subject only to compliance with certain precautions relating to insurance.
Deputy P. O'Donnell and Deputy Governey suggested that the Department should take the initiative in providing motor scooters for rural postmen and thus speed up the delivery service. This matter has been under consideration from time to time but, up to the present, apart from other considerations, the types of motorised cycles and motor scooter available have not been regarded as sufficiently rugged and reliable to outweigh the advantages in these respects of the ordinary push bicycle. However, the question of using motor scooters of the improved types now on the market is at present being considered for certain selected rural posts.
Deputy Harte suggested that delays in delivery of letters addressed to places in County Donegal are occurring because new regulations were issued about 12 months ago under which letters not fully addressed to County Donegal are deliberately subjected to delay. This is unfounded. Sorters endeavour to sort all letters correctly, whether for Donegal or elsewhere, and whether they are or are not fully addressed. Items which are not fully or properly addressed are, of course, more liable to be delayed than fully addressed items. This is so whether the letters are addressed to destinations in County Donegal or anywhere else in this country or overseas. But there is no question of attempting to penalise the senders of insufficiently addressed items by sorting them in a manner which will involve unnecessary delay.
Deputy Everett raised the question of having an interview test instead of a written examination in the confined telephonist competition. Until 1961, both open and confined telephonist competitions consisted of written examinations. Since November, 1961, the open competition has consisted of an interview. A further confined competition for serving temporary telephonists will probably be held in 1964 or 1965 and the question of changing over to the interview system in this competition will be considered. It is the Civil Service Commissioners who will settle finally the form of competition.
As regards Deputy P. O'Donnell's request to advertise the overnight telegram service, I may remark that particulars concerning this service are given in Eolaí an Phoist, Volume 1. The charges for the service are also shown in a general notice containing the principal telegraph charges. This notice is displayed at all offices at suitable intervals and will be exhibited again as soon as practicable. Consideration is also being given to the question of placing it on permanent display.
Deputy Norton asked for a forecast of when the new Dublin Sorting Office will be completed. In view of the history of this project it would be imprudent of me to give any such firm estimate. All I can say is that the Office of Public Works have already invited applications from builders who may wish to tender for the main building work and the advertisement stated that applicants will be required to satisfy the Commissioners that they are in a position to complete the work within 30 months. The applications are now under consideration in the Office of Public Works and it is expected that formal tenders will be invited very shortly. More than this I cannot say but I certainly hope most sincerely that nothing will happen during the course of the work to delay still further this project which has met with so many delays and mishaps in the past.
Deputy Norton urged that the Department should arrange to provide houses for postmasters. On this point it is sufficient to say that no request has been received from the Postmasters Association in this matter and accordingly it is not proposed to consider the provision of houses. I may add that there is some reason to believe, in fact, that postmasters would not welcome action to provide official residences at those centres where there are none at present.
Deputy Norton referred to the fact that all building work for the Post Office is undertaken by the Office of Public Works and suggested that the Post Office should secure authority for building, extending, repairing and painting its offices. This is a matter that has often been under examination and the conclusion has been reached that as regards building construction and maintenance work in general it is better for the Post Office to rely on the country-wide organisation of architectural and technical staffs which the Commissioners of Public Works have than to attempt to set up a parallel organisation of its own. Where the present system is found defective in particular cases, it is better to try to improve it in those cases than to throw overboard the whole system. There would, however, be advantages in employing outside architects for particular new building projects where the building is urgently needed and the Commissioners of Public Works, owing to pressure of other projects, cannot give it the required priority. I secured agreement in principle some little time ago that the Department will be free to employ the services of architects in such circumstances, subject, of course, to prior consultation with the Commissioners; and this will be done in appropriate cases.
Deputy Norton referred to some delays in commencing payment of pensions to officers on their retirement and suggested that the Post Office should seek authority to deal with these cases itself instead of submitting them to the Department of Finance in the first instance. This is not possible as the law stands at present, but provision has been made in Section 25 of the Superannuation and Pensions Bill, 1963, for delegation by the Minister for Finance of authority in connection with the award of pensions and gratuities. It is the intention, when this Bill is enacted to seek authority to have, at least, straightforward superannuation cases dealt with finally by the Post Office.
A number of Deputies mentioned that the volume of business transacted by subpostmasters was growing and put this forward as a reason for increasing their pay. The fact is that the pay of subpostmasters is related to the volume of work transacted at their offices and according as the value of business grows the pay is increased. On the general question of the level of pay of subpostmasters, the position is that in addition to any increases which some subpostmaster may have got as a result of growth in the volume of business, all subpostmasters were granted increases in the past year in line with the improvements in pay secured by Post Office grades.
Deputy P. O'Donnell referred to the rate of pay at the smallest sub-post offices and implied that all subpostmasters should be paid on the same basis as if the work of the offices demanded their full time attention. I could not agree with this at all. As I have just explained, the pay is related to the volume of work done and at present it varies from £141 a year at the smallest offices to over £2,000 at the largest, with the majority having over £300 a year. There are comparatively very few offices on the minimum rate of pay which is £141 a year and at these offices the volume of work arising is trifling and makes very little demand on the time of the subpostmasters. When applying for appointment, subpostmasters know what the remuneration will be and it is to be expected that applicants will have other occupation that can be carried out in conjunction with the sub-office work. In any event, the time is available for them to do other work and it is up to them to use it, as I know they do.
The question of arbitration for subpostmasters was also raised. As I advised the House in reply to a number of questions during the year, the provision of arbitration machinery received full consideration by the Government and it was concluded that arbitration would not be appropriate in the circumstances of subpostmasters. I gave the reasons for this conclusion in some detail during the year and I do not propose therefore to take up the time of the House by repeating them now.
Deputy Sweetman alleged that a Post Office inspector pushed his way into a house. The Deputy wrote to me some time ago about this case and he was sent a full letter setting out the results of the Department's inquiries. The case concerned a Post Office inspector who was engaged on wireless licence duties. He is an experienced and reliable officer whose account of the incident concerned was quite different from that given by the Deputy.
As regards television, Deputies P. O'Donnell and Harte suggested that there was need for booster stations in various districts where Telefís Éireann cannot be received. In fact the Authority is fast reaching the stage where it will be able to pinpoint areas of bad reception. Kippure (405 and 625 lines) and Truskmore (405 line) are the only transmitters operating at full power at present but the Authority aims to have the remaining transmitters on full power within the next three or four months. Field tests will then determine where satellite or booster stations are required. Viewers should, however, bear in mind that poor reception may be due to installations which are not correctly oriented, adjusted or tuned to receive signals at their proper strength.
Deputy P. O'Donnell also suggested that in certain areas the problem of poor TV reception could be solved by piped television. There is no objection to piped television provided programmes from outside the State are not relayed. In the Six Counties, the relaying of Telefís Éireann programmes is not permitted. At the moment Telefís Éireann has an advantage in that it provides a much better picture in most parts of the 26 Counties than can be obtained from the BBC or UTV, etc. This advantage would disappear if relays of foreign programmes were allowed and the Authority's revenue from advertisements would be adversely affected. The problem of poor TV reception should lessen when all the transmitters are broadcasting at full power.
Deputy Mullen referred to purchase of TV licences on credit terms through private firms who make a profit on the transaction. The plain fact is that nobody is obliged to purchase a TV licence in this way. Some members of the public pay various types of domestic accounts on credit terms and no reason is seen why the facility should not be available for payment of television and radio licences. As Minister I have no power to control the charges made by the firms which provide this service. At least one rental firm buys licences for its customers and collects the actual amount in instalments. I would not be prepared to get my Department to collect licence fees by instalments because it would add substantially to the cost of collection.
Quite a number of Deputies criticised the programmes and made various suggestions about programmes, stage-Irish plays, more Irish, céilís, feiseanna, sports broadcasts, ballroom dancing, Irish music, hospitals requests, etc. Again, I want to say that I have no function regarding programme matters but the Authority's attention will be drawn to the views expressed by the Deputies. Although I have no function regarding broadcast appeals, I may, perhaps, refer to Deputy Crotty's complaint that an appeal for a foster-mother for a foal was not broadcast by Radio Éireann, although a similar appeal was broadcast on behalf of another person shortly afterwards. Radio Éireann does not normally broadcast any appeals except those concerning accidents, missing persons or cases of life and death and, in order to guard against hoaxes, these must be fully vouched for by the Garda authorities.
Appeals for foster-mothers for valuable foals have been broadcast occasionally but the circumstances of each case are carefully considered before any such appeal is passed. Persons who wish to have such appeals broadcast can, of course, avail themselves of the advertising service of Radio Éireann or Telefís Éireann. In fact, some weeks ago, a paid advertisement of this kind was broadcast by Telefís Éireann.
Deputy Kyne recently asked a question about the number of telephones provided in Dungarvan during the previous six months. I informed the Deputy in reply to a supplementary question that one of the telephones was provided, on a priority basis, in connection with a building contract. The Deputy queried the accuracy of this information. I have since confirmed that the facts were as stated by me. The telephone in question was installed for a firm of building contractors, already subscribers at several other centres, who were engaged on a substantial building project at Dungarvan. I sent for Deputy Kyne and I think I satisfied him. In fairness to the Deputy I should say that he misunderstood the position entirely.
Deputy Everett inquired about the training of additional workmen to deal with the expanded telephone development programme. In recent years, we have doubled the intake of technician trainees and a very full training is being provided for these. We propose to increase the intake still further shortly. In addition, we have taken on and trained a big number of junior labourers over the past few years also and this process is continuing. In this connection, I might mention that the current year's Estimate provides for roughly 250 more workmen than last year and in the past five years, the workmen force has been increased by 50 per cent.
In the course of his comments on the telephone service, Deputy Crinion pointed out that the extended use of heavy cables instead of open wires would make the lines less liable to storm damage. This is undoubtedly true and is fully taken into account in the practice that is followed in development of the network. The intention is that all open wire trunk routes will be replaced by aerial or underground cables or by radio links, but some 1,400 such routes are involved comprising about 50,000 miles of wire, and precedence must of course be given to the longer and more important routes and to those in need of replacement.
The same Deputy, if I understood him correctly, is concerned about what appears to him to be a lack of foresight in the planning of cabling works. He instanced a new cable at present being laid between Leixlip and Maynooth and wondered why this is necessary so soon after completion of the main cable to Sligo eight years ago. I would like to assure him, however, that the situation is not quite as it appeared to him. The length of route to which he referred is not served by the main Sligo cable but by a local cable from Dublin. This local route was laid many years ago and its capacity is now being increased by drawing additional cable into the existing duct. This is the normal way to provide for growth and it would have been wasteful to instal the additional circuits earlier.
The question of including Naas in the Dublin local fee charge group was also mentioned. In regard to this, the position is that charges between Naas and Dublin are not exceptional to the general pattern and are the same as those applied over equivalent distances between various towns throughout the country. The enlargement of the existing local call areas could not be made without serious consequences to the general charging scheme and to telephone revenue. As I mentioned when referring to this subject last week, I am satisfied that the general level of charges in the scheme represents very good value indeed to users of the telephone.
Several Deputies referred to difficulties encountered with the new automatic exchanges opened in County Kildare last November. I have already dealt fairly fully with this matter but I wish to add that there is no foundation for the suggestion that the equipment installed was of a new and untried design which had never before been put into operation anywhere in the world. In fact, the equipment had proved itself in various other countries and its performance here was tested as thoroughly as was practicable before the exchanges were opened. The difficulties that were met could not have been anticipated as a great variety of complex problems was involved and the exchange areas in question were the first in this country in which full automatic working and subscriber trunk dialling were provided at one and the same time.
Deputy Norton has charged that the Department concluded agreements for telephones in large numbers of cases in which it was not possible to provide the service promised. I am glad to say that there is no substance in this, but I imagine that the Deputy has been misled by instances coming to his notice in which exceptionally heavy construction work or complications such as public wayleaves were involved in the erection of the necessary lines. In such cases, the telephones may not be connected for a considerable time after negotiation of the agreements, but I am sure that Deputies will have no difficulty in accepting that the work cannot be commenced until after the telephone agreement has been signed, that is to say, until we know that the work is, in fact, necessary.
