asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the amount of damage done each year over the past ten years to telephone kiosks, telephone directories and telegraph poles; and if he will give a summary of the cost of such damage.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Damage to Post Office Property.
43.
It is assumed that the Deputy is referring to malicious damage. This information is not available in respect of telephone directories. In the case of kiosks and telegraph poles records are available only from 1st April, 1961. In the five years since that date malicious damage to kiosks has cost £6,268 10s 4d and to telegraph poles and wires £56 14s 11d. Particulars year by year are in the form of a tabular statement which it is proposed with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to have circulated with the Official Report.
Following is the statement:
|
Year ended |
Malacious damage to |
|||||
|
Kiosks |
Telegraph Poles and attached wires |
|||||
|
£ |
s. |
d. |
£ |
s. |
d. |
|
|
31st March 1962 |
610 |
2 |
3 |
— |
||
|
,,,, 1963 |
701 |
5 |
1 |
— |
||
|
,,,, 1964 |
993 |
5 |
1 |
— |
||
|
,,,, 1965 |
1,895 |
11 |
0 |
56 |
14 |
11 |
|
,,,, 1966 |
2,068 |
6 |
11 |
— |
||
|
Total |
£6,268 |
10 |
4 |
£56 |
14 |
11 |
Mr. O'Leary
Is there any increase in damage around election time?
It is to be assumed that the Minister is aware of the widespread public annoyance and dislocation, shall we say, caused by such damage and will the Minister take steps to mount a campaign in his Department to bring home to the public the desirability of pursuing a system which will bring to light these vandals who go around doing this damage?
Will the Minister say whether or not the State recovers any of this damage from the local authorities under the malicious injuries code?
I assume that in the case of a claim for malicious damage to the local authority, the State would recover. There are frequently cases where the damage is a local matter.
I should like an indication of the Minister's general attitude in this matter.
It is a question of lack of proper civic spirit which must be tackled in the schools and the Deputy should raise the question with the Minister for Education.
I do not think it is a matter for the Minister for Education. I think it is one the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs should provide for in his Estimate.
It is a matter for the Department of Justice and the Department of Education.
Is the Minister aware that there is still one of these posters on a pole immediately outside the Dáil gates?
That is a separate question.
We are well aware of the difficulties involved in regard to protecting public property, particularly telephone kiosks which are exposed in many cases, with lights at night, and are a target for a good deal of petty damage but there was a lot of damage of more than a petty nature done recently in Dublin where a number of kiosks were damaged as a result of some kind of organised campaign.