asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he is satisfied that a charge of 1s 9d for a telephone call from Cornamona to Maam, County Galway, a distance of three miles, is justified.
5.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Galway Telephone Call Charges.
4.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he is aware that telephone calls from Cornamona to Maam, County Galway, a distance of three miles, are in fact routed through a distance of 120 miles approximately before being connected; and that this causes a disproportionate charge for a call which would normally cost 4d; if he will take steps to ensure that such calls are charged only at the local call rate and, if necessary, arrange for the appropriate telephone lines to be provided, especially to facilitate contact with a doctor or nurse in the areas concerned.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 and 5 together.
The charge for a call between Cornamona and Maam is 1/- day rate and 9d night rate, plus 3d in each case where the call is made from a coinbox or public telephone. For charging purposes exchanges are arranged into groups; charges are determined by reference to the radial distance between the group centre exchange in each group and are not influenced by the distance or routing between individual exchanges.
Cornamona is in the Ballinrobe group and Maam is in the Galway group because their respective community of interest is with the exchanges in these groups. It is not practicable to allow calls between Cornamona and Maam exceptionally at local call rate. The number of calls between these two exchanges is insufficient to warrant the provision of a direct route between them.