asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will consider the provision of a telephone kiosk in Garristown, County Dublin.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Dublin Kiosk.
10.
A telephone kiosk is not warranted at Garristown.
In view of the fact that this is a rural area, the post office closes at 8.30 and there is no telephone available to the people until 9 o'clock the following morning with the result that they have to go long distances for a doctor or priest, is there any possibility of the Minister putting the telephone kiosk outside the post office? Will he give this consideration?
As I have indicated to the Deputy, the position is that it would not be economic to do this. special attention will be given to a request for a coin box telephone by a person or a group of persons in Garristown village. In quite a number of cases coin boxes have been put into shops in these type of areas which provide the service required by the Deputy.
Are the economics of these matters the only consideration? Surely in a rural area like Garristown where the people have very little communication with the outside world a telephone is more necessary than in built-up areas where every second person has a telephone?
We have regard to the social implications of the telephone service. A great number of the call offices throughout the country are uneconomic and lose money. A great deal of the private service in the west of Ireland loses money and has to be subsidised by the more paying elements of the service. We erect kiosks every year. We have at the moment 1,080 kiosks in provincial areas. Each year there is a programme which is designed to give the best possible service under the circumstances. In actual fact, as I said to the House a few months ago, I am having this whole question examined to see if we should take further steps in the kiosk programme in order to carry out some of the requests made by Deputies for kiosks in areas where, perhaps, the reasons for not providing the kiosks from the economic point of view were marginal. I am having the whole question examined.