asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will indicate in respect of County Donegal the sub-post offices in which it is proposed to replace inside telephone booths by public kiosks during 1974.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Telephone Service.
3.
The information sought is as follows: Brinlack, Cavangarden, Churchill, Commeen, Cranford, Glencolumbkille, Inch, Kilraine, Lecamy, Letterbarrow, Linsfort, Malin and Meenaneary.
Is it proposed to remove the telephone booths existing inside the sub-post offices following the erection of public telephone booths outside the post offices?
I do not know that it is but if the Deputy cares to put down that question I shall answer it.
I submit that the Minister——
The Deputy may submit anything he wishes.
The Minister does not seem to know very much about this.
There are a great many things that the Minister does not know and which I am quite sure the Deputy does not know either.
4.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will have a telephone kiosk erected at Skenakilla Cross near Mallow, County Cork as the nearest public telephone to this is over three miles away.
5.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will arrange to have a telephone kiosk erected at Moyglass, Fethard, County Tipperary.
6.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will arrange to have a telephone kiosk erected at Skeheenarinka, Burncourt, Cahir, County Tipperary.
7.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will erect a public telephone kiosk at Effernan Cross, County Clare.
I propose, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 4, 5, 6 and 7 together.
My Department is not at present providing kiosks in rural areas such as Skenakilla; Skeheenarinka; Moyglass and Effernan Cross where there is no post office. I do not at present propose to change the existing policy.
I think that is a most disgraceful attitude to questions in this House regarding these Tipperary kiosks——
Could we have a question, Deputy?
Is the Minister aware of the need for a telephone kiosk in Skeheenarinka, Moyglass and the other areas I have mentioned? Is he aware of these areas? Has he even bothered to look up the need for telephone kiosks in these areas which are four or five miles from the nearest telephone?
The need for kiosks in these areas, whatever it may be, is no greater now than it was during the 16 years when the Deputy's Government was in office.
(Interruptions.)
I asked the Minister if he was aware of the need for telephone kiosks in Skeheenarinka and Moyglass? I am waiting for a reply.
The Chair is not responsible for Ministers' replies or, indeed, Deputies' questions.
Does the Deputy want the answer to the question or does he want to interrupt?
I do want the answer to the question.
The answer to the question is this. There is, of course, a need of a certain kind in many isolated areas for telephone kiosks and this is expressed from every part of the country. My Department, quite obviously, must set certain priorities as it always did—this did not just suddenly come into being in March of last year, as the Deputy well knows—and in providing these according to priority, of course there are certain areas which will be disappointed and deprived. I am very sorry that should be so but I have to observe the priorities as my predecessor did.
Would the Minister not agree, now that his Department has the advantage of substantial capital from the European Bank, that the policy that has been followed by the Department in regard to the provision of rural kiosks which are a social amenity could be fully reviewed?
As the Deputy is fully aware—I know he gives considerable thought to these matters—the funds supplied by the European Investment Bank—which we are very glad to have and we hope to have more from that source in following years— are not even adequate to finance the enormous task of adequately capitalising the improvement and development of our telephone service generally of which programme the provision of kiosks is only one part and in spite of the interest of many Deputies in it, a relatively small part. Although I am not minimising its importance, I do not anticipate that funds from that source will be going in that particular direction. They are more likely to be required in other directions.
This must be the final supplementary. Deputy Cunningham.
The Minister has indicated that where telephone kiosks exist inside sub-post offices—which is unsatisfactory—in some cases public kiosks will be provided outside. Does this mean that in areas of the country where there are no telephone facilities the change of policy is eliminating or will eliminate public telephone kiosks apart from those indicated in the answer to Question No. 3?
This is not new at all. It is not a new policy not to provide kiosks in rural areas such as these where there is no post office.
Or to answer Parliamentary Questions.
This is the old policy. These gentlemen have suddenly discovered there is something wrong with this policy. It is not the policy that has changed, it is the Government.
May I ask the Minister——
I am calling Question No. 8. We must pass on from this question.
I only asked two supplementaries and I have two questions down. Would the Minister even bother to find out what the position is?
The Deputy has already asked that question.
The Minister did not even bother to look.
8.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when the automatic telephone dialling programme will be completed in County Donegal.
It is planned to complete the conversion to automatic working of 30 exchanges including all the larger ones within the next five years.
It is not possible at present to say when the remaining 38 manual exchanges will be converted to automatic.
9.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when it is intended to erect an additional telephone kiosk in the Ballybrack area of County Dublin; and if arrangements will be made to have it located in the new local authority housing estate.
An additional telephone kiosk in the Ballybrack area is planned and it is proposed to locate it near the new local authority housing estate. It is hoped that the kiosk will be in service in about three months' time.
The Minister will answer a question about Dublin but he will not answer one about the country.
(Interruptions.)
We must have order in the House. I am calling Question No. 10.
10.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when a telephone kiosk will be provided at Kerry Pike, County Cork.
Difficulties have been experienced in obtaining a suitable site for the telephone kiosk planned for Kerry Pike. It is hoped to resolve these shortly and that the kiosk will be erected within the next three to four months.
That is a Labour Deputy.
Will Deputy Davern please allow Question Time to proceed without these unnecessary interruptions?
Anything that comes from a Labour Deputy or a Dublin Deputy is answered.
There are two separate matters involved.
I have no control over these matters. The Deputies are disorderly. Question No. 11.
11.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will consider the erection of a public telephone kiosk at Cloghroe, County Cork.
12.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will consider the erection of a public telephone kiosk outside Inniscarra post office, County Cork.
I propose, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle to take Questions Nos. 11 and 12 together.
My Department is not at present providing kiosks in areas such as Cloghroe where there is no post office. The call office telephone at Inniscarra post office is little used and provision of a kiosk in the vicinity cannot be favourably considered at this stage.
Could I ask the Minister in relation to Question No. 11——
Did the Minister answer Question No. 12? I only called Question No. 11.
He answered Question No. 11.
I want to assist the Deputy.
Question No. 11 deals with Cloghroe and Question No. 12 deals with Inniscarra. I answered both questions together.
The Ceann Comhairle did not call Question No. 12.
I regret that I answered Question No. 12 without its being called. Is the Ceann Comhairle calling it now?
Yes.
The answer to Question No. 12 is:
The call office telephone at Inniscarra post office is little used and provision of a kiosk in the vicinity cannot be favourably considered at this stage.
(Interruptions.)
Would Deputies please behave themselves? Does Deputy Fitzgerald wish to ask a supplementary?
Yes, on Question No. 11. I welcome the Minister's decision on the previous question with regard to the telephone kiosk at Kerry Pike. Would he tell me why from a social need point of view he should erect a telephone kiosk at Kerry Pike and not at Cloghroe?
I do not think it would be useful—nor did I think, my predecessors—to enter into detailed comparisons of various possible sites for rural kiosks. In general, in these matters I act on the advice of my Department as my predecessor also did. I am satisfied they went into the matter rather thoroughly. I wish to help the Deputy if I can and I should add that arrangements have been made to provide a kiosk at Tower village which is less than three-quarters of a mile from the church and the schools and within two miles of the hamlet at the other end of the Cloghroe area. I will discuss this with the Deputy if he wishes. It is hoped to have this kiosk erected within the next two months. I hope that meets the Deputy's requirements.
With regard to the last statement by the Minister, the decision regarding Tower village was taken by his predecessor.
Would the Deputy please avoid making a statement?
Would the Minister agree with me that so far as telephone kiosks are concerned the policy of his Department at the moment appears to be to erect them only where sub-post offices exist?
That is a long question.
I am sorry but I want to give reasons for the question. Would the Minister agree that there are very many villages and groups of houses in areas throughout the country that do not have sub-post offices? In view of that, would he reexamine his Department's policy with regard to growing areas of population in places like Cloghroe?
I am prepared to keep all policies in my Department under review and to change them where that seems desirable. I would, of course, point out that the policy which is now being criticised is the policy which has been in force for quite a considerable time.
Has Question No. 12 been answered
Yes.
Question No. 13.
I did not realise Question No. 12 had been answered.
I answered it.
It was not called.
It has been called now and Deputy Gene Fitzgerald wishes to ask a supplementary.
I will repeat the answer. I stated:
The call office telephone at Inniscarra post office is little used and provision of a kiosk in the vicinity cannot be favourably considered at this stage.
Would the Minister agree that the reason a telephone kiosk of this nature in a sub-post office is not used is that there is no privacy and also that the post office is only open during certain hours? A survey by his Department would be very much hindered by those two factors.
There are 11 houses in the immediate vicinity of the sub-post office—this is the scale of the problem we are dealing with here— and four of these have telephones. The call office telephone in the sub-post office is little used. The revenue amounted to £37 in the year ended 31st March, 1973. The provision of a kiosk is not warranted at present. If the use made of the call office increases substantially, the question of its inclusion in a future programme could be considered.
Would the Minister agree that there is no hope of increasing the use of the telephone where it is situated inside the post office because of the reasons I stated? How near are the public telephones to the Inniscarra sub-post office?
If the Deputy cares to put down another question, I will be able to give him an answer.
Is it not the set policy of the Minister's Department to have the telephone taken out from all sub-post offices and put in a kiosk outside?
The Minister does not know.
If Deputies put down the questions they want answered, I will answer them.
May I ask the Minister——
Deputy Fitzgerald, we have got to make progress. I have been anxious to help the Deputy to elicit further information but we must make some progress on other Members' questions as well.
I am afraid the Minister may not be fully aware of the situation in country areas. He probably has no experience of rural post offices. In the case of these sub-post offices, as I said already, people are reluctant to use the open phone because when they go into a shop there are people at the counter and everybody can hear their conversation.
The Deputy is making an argument now.
I want to raise this point. Can the local people use that telephone at 5.30 in the evening?
This is a separate question.
As the Deputy well knows, this applies in many areas of the country. People would prefer kiosks. I would prefer to provide them as I am sure my predecessors also would have preferred. I have explained the difficulties in the way, the priorities that have to be assigned. The sub-post office in which the Deputy is interested and other sub-post offices in which other Deputies are interested, do not match up to the priorities. Only when they begin to match up can they be included in the scheme.
Question No. 13.
Arising out of the Minister's reply——
I have given a lot of latitude on this question and Deputy Molloy must not intervene at this stage. I am calling the next question.
Why is the Chair so disturbed by the fact that I might ask a question?
The Deputy has plenty of opportunities for asking questions. I gave the Deputy concerned a lot of latitude. I am passing to the next question.
I wanted to ask the Minister a supplementary question. If the Chair feels it should protect the Minister——
That is not the position and the Deputy knows that. It is an unfair allegation and the Deputy knows it is not just. The Chair is anxious to make reasonable progress.
I do not think the Minister is much worried about being protected from you gentlemen.
The Minister has issued apologies before. Be careful now.
13.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will provide a public telephone kiosk at St. Colman's Place, Buttevant, County Cork.
Not at present. This area is already served by a kiosk outside the post office which is not used sufficiently to warrant provision of an additional kiosk in the town.
14.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will arrange to have a second telephone kiosk erected at Main Street, Cashel, County Tipperary, in view of the excessive demands on the existing one.
Not at present. The kiosk in Main Street, Cashel is not used sufficiently to warrant provision of an additional kiosk in the town.
First of all, I want to thank you, Sir, for ensuring that we are answered the questions individually. That is essential parliamentary democracy. I am grateful that you a fellow countyman would ensure that. I want to ask the Minister what amount of money is collected by that telephone kiosk because there seems to be a contradiction between what I know locally and what he says.
That is very distinctly a separate question.
I can answer the question. The creditable receipts from the Main Street kiosk for the year ended 31st March, 1973, totalled £431. It is estimated that about 30 calls a day are made from the kiosk and this is not regarded as excessive use. The creditable revenue would need to be of the order of £500, or £600, on the charges effective since 1st October, 1973, before an additional kiosk would be warranted.
In view of the rising rate of inflation we would have £500 at least taken at that telephone kiosk next year. Would the Minister then erect it?
That is a frivolous question.
Question No. 15.
With the increases in charges that are due to come up, and passed by the Minister for Industry and Commerce, would the Minister erect it if the amount were over £400 —if the amount were over £500?
I have answered the Deputy.
Arising from the Minister's reply——
Please, Deputy. I have called Question No. 15.
It is one small supplementary question. It is a general question appertaining to all the questions we have had. I will be very brief. Has the Minister a minimum economic figure——
What question are we on?
It concerns any of the questions that the Minister has just answered with regard to telephone kiosks.
I wonder if supplementary questions are going to be put in relation to no specific question.
The Chair has called the next question, No. 15.
15.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will have a telephone kiosk erected at Kilross, Tipperary.
16.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he proposes to provide a telephone kiosk at Kilmichael, County Cork; and, if so, when.
I propose, a Cheann Comhairle, with your permission, to take Questions Nos. 15 and 16 together.
The call office telephones at Kilross, Tipperary and Kilmichael, County Cork are little used and provision of a kiosk in either location cannot be favourably considered at this stage.
I asked about Kilross, not about Kilroe.
It is Kilross that I dealt with.
It is the Minister's accent. Why does the Minister not think it justified to erect a telephone kiosk at Kilross?
I am in your hands, a Cheann Comhairle. I am prepared to answer questions of that kind although I think it wastes the time of the House.
I want to know why is he not prepared to erect a kiosk there. That is a direct supplementary.
I am treating the Deputies opposite with almost excessive deference.
I asked a supplementary question on Question No. 15— why the Minister will not erect a telephone kiosk. I have had deputations from that area.
The Minister has replied to the Deputy's question.
Not to the supplementary.
One wonders whether there is this enormous demand for this kiosk. The call office revenue amounted to £41 in the year ended 31st March, 1973. Provision of a kiosk is not warranted. If the use that is made of the call office increases substantially the question of its inclusion in a future programme will be considered.
Does it occur to the Minister why the revenue——
Please.
17.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when the telephone service in the Midleton and Dunmanway areas, County Cork will be brought up to standard.
Additional trunk circuits and exchange equipment are required at Midleton. Some extra trunk circuits to Cork will be provided in the summer and additional lines and exchange equipment towards the end of the year. Plans are at an advanced stage for a new automatic exchange which is expected to be in service in about three years.
I am not aware of difficulties at Dunmanway. If the Deputy will let me have particulars I shall have them investigated.
On a point of order, the Minister is thumbing his nose not alone at the Deputies in the House but I am suggesting, a Cheann Comhairle, that he is even thumbing his nose at you, dealing with questions which have not been called by the Chair.
Please, Deputy, allow Question Time to proceed. I have called Question No. 17. The Minister is replying. Allow questions to proceed, do not waste precious time.
On a point of order, we cannot allow questions to be proceeded with by the Minister in defiance of their not being called by the Chair.
That is not a point of order.
Surely it is.
I am the judge of that.
I would like to place it on the record that what has been proceeding here this afternoon is organised barracking by Deputies in the guise of questions.
I object to that. I resent that comment. I am entitled to ask questions here.
Again I must ask Deputies on my right to please behave themselves and allow Question Time to continue in an orderly fashion.
Address that to the Minister who has been acting in a most disorderly fashion.
They are not concerned about rural kiosks. They are concerned about something else. They have something else on their minds.
18.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the number of applications for telephones in County Monaghan outstanding on 31st December, 1973.
About 360.
Taking into account the number of outstanding applications and the slow rate of installation will the Department make a survey so as to discover the most needy applicants and give them priority? There are a number of persons in failing health living in isolated areas for whom a telephone would be essential. There are also farmer contractors who have been waiting for telephones for a number of years, people who do extensive contracting business providing a service.
The Deputy is making a long speech.
Not alone is it essential for the applicant in that case to have a telephone but it is also essential for the farmers concerned.
I share the Deputy's concern in this matter. This is a question dictated by genuine concern and not by a desire to cause trouble and interruptions.
On a point of order——
Will Deputies please be careful about raising points of order on questions? It is most unusual. Is it a point of order?
It is a point of order.
Let us see.
It is in order for the Minister to imply improper motives to any Member of the House when he puts down questions in this House? I do not think so.
That is not being done.
That is what has been done by the Minister.
Intellectual arrogance. That is all that it is.
There would be an excuse for the Deputy if he were 16 years in Opposition. He is a disgrace to the country.
I have the utmost respect for your rulings, Sir, and you have always defended the Members of the House. I do not think it is correct for any Minister to imply improper motives to any Member who has put down a question.
This is not a proper allegation. No. 18.
I think the Opposition are a little excited today. I will try to answer the question.
I wonder what has come over Deputies this evening at Question Time.
The Minister's arrogance. That is what has come over us.
That is what is causing all the trouble.
Again I must appeal to Deputies to behave themselves, please.
If Deputy Leonard's colleague will permit me I will try to answer his question. It is a serious question. It deserves a serious answer, as I shall try to give every Deputy.
So is every question on the Order Paper.
If I am not interrupted by any Deputy opposite I will try to answer a question put by one of their number. There is a big volume of work in progress and awaiting attention in the Dublin North Engineering District of which County Monaghan is a part. The number of waiting applications on hand represents about ten months' work on connections. The Monaghan area is representative of the district as a whole. The best forecast that can be made for clearance of the waiting applications in County Monaghan is that service will be provided for the remaining 1971 and 1972 cases during the summer, the majority of 1973 cases before the end of the year and the balance early next year. In short, the existing waiting applications will be cleared within the next 12 months or so. I share the Deputy's concern about that situation and I regret it for the sake of the people affected in Monaghan. He has asked me whether I will see to it that proper priorities are observed among those on the waiting list. I shall, of course, as I do in all other areas try to ensure this and if the Deputy brings any particularly hard cases to my attention of people deserving of priority for illness or some other reason I shall certainly always try to meet him or any other Deputy.
19.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the progress that has been made towards the provision of a telephone service for the Black Valley area near Killarney, County Kerry.
I told the Deputy on the 26th July last, in reply to a previous question, that there were no plans to provide telephone service in the Black Valley. That is still the position. An extensive examination of possible methods of giving service indicates that the cost would be extremely high.
Would the Minister consider this application from the social point of view?
Of course I will consider it from the social point of view but the Deputy will understand that in considering a given case from a social point of view one has to consider wider social aspects and that by spending very large sums of money on very small numbers of people one is inflicting a certain injustice on others. I shall keep the situation under review and if it becomes financially feasible I shall certainly try to do it.
Would the Minister take into account the fact that this valley is unique by reason of its location and by virtue of the fact that at certain times of the year in certain weather conditions the people of this valley cannot communicate with people outside?
It really is a question of money. For example, it has been suggested that this service might be provided by a multi-channel VHF link. It would cost about £30,000. I do not really think that is possible.
Are we to take it from what the Minister has said that in deciding social issues the only criterion he will apply is where the larger number of persons is, that there he shall grant permission and that the smaller number shall be left waiting?
That is a rather rhetorical question. My answer is clear enough.
No. 20.
On the question of a telephonic link-up for areas such as the one in question, would the Minister not agree that a short-wave communication would be very much cheaper and probably would serve the purpose in such areas?
That is a separate question.
I shall have the Deputy's suggestion considered.
20.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the areas in south Kerry which will be provided with public telephone kiosks during 1974.
The information requested is as follows: Bonane, Dingle, Feoghanagh, Glenflesk, Killarney, Greenane, Inch, Mastergeehy.
21.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if, in view of the increased population of the area, he will consider establishing a public telephone service at Moonloun Lawn, Tramore, County Waterford; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The area in question is already served by two existing kiosks on Main Street, Tramore, which are not used to an extent that would warrant provision of an additional kiosk in the general area at present. The matter will be reconsidered if use of the existing facilities increases significantly.
22.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he has any arrangements for the provision of better facilities for the telephone exchange at Lifford, County Donegal.
Arrangements are in train to provide as quickly as possible a new larger manual exchange at Lifford.
Is it not correct that arrangements had been made but the building was taken over for another purpose?
That is correct. It was taken over by the Department of Defence.
23.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will make a statement on the length of the delay in restoring telephone service to the fire brigade and ambulance officer in Maynooth, County Kildare, as compared with that in the case of a private subscriber; and if he will give an assurance that priority will be given in future to emergency services.
The telephone line of the fire brigade and ambulance officer was affected by extensive damage to line-plant caused by the storms of 11th and 12th January. The repairs required the replacement and rejointing of aerial cable which had been broken by falling trees and it was not possible to restore service until 17th January. There is, however, a special arrangement in force in Maynooth automatic exchange whereby calls to the fire brigade and ambulance officer's telephone can, in the event of a fault on his line, be automatically diverted to the telephone of his assistant and this arrangement was put into force when the first mentioned telephone was reported faulty.
The conditions which existed in the aftermath of the storm were exceptional. When repairing main cables and priority lines, repairs were carried out at the same time to ordinary telephone lines affected where this did not require a great deal of work. There was, however, no question of not giving priority to the emergency services.
My reason for putting down this question was to elicit some information for those voluntary workers who operate this ambulance and fire brigade service. I was rather disturbed to read that in the circumstances, and possibly if it occurred again, it would be too much trouble to identify one particular line and have that restored. That would mean that the members of the fire brigade——
I am anxious to help the Deputy but he should come to a supplementary question.
I am. The members of the fire brigade should get priority and that was what they were promised when they volunteered for the service. I would like an assurance from the Minister now that in the event of something untoward like this occurring again the members of the fire brigade will get this priority. He should be aware that the alternative arrangement that he mentioned is not entirely satisfactory as this farm labourer would not be at home until night-time.
This is a very long question.
Does he still think the delay in restoring this service was coincidental and after examining his file would he not agree that at the behest of a Parliamentary Secretary——
This is an abuse of Question Time and a violation of the ruling of the Chair.
I can assure you that my reason for putting down this question was not a wish to barrack anybody but to ensure that the people who are supplying this service should get priority.
The Deputy may ask a supplementary. I have given him a lot of latitude and he has abused the privilege I gave him.
I endeavoured to ask this in an unimpassioned way. It is a very serious question——
The Deputy has been on his feet for some minutes. This is completely out of order. The Deputy will resume his seat.
In view of the fact that have not given me an opportunity of asking a supplementary question, nor have you given the Minister an opportunity of answering a supplementary, I would like your permission to raise this on the Adjournment and give the matter a proper arising.
I am anxious to have the Deputy get a reply to his supplementary but he has gone on and made a long speech on the matter. This is most unfair to the House.
I think the Deputy's approach to this is a little unreasonable in view of the very exceptional circumstances that prevailed here. I have every reason to believe that the officials of my Department concerned and the workers in the Maynooth area, who are reflected on by this question, did their very best to restore service in the shortest possible time and that they gave full consideration to the necessary priority of restoring service to this number. Of course they would. Why would they not?
There are three points I should like to raise and have clarified, with your permission. Can the Minister say why supply was restored to his next door neighbour and why supply could not be restored at the same time to Mr. Flood who is in charge of the fire brigade and ambulance service? Would I be right in saying that representations were made for his neighbour to have that supply extended to him and restored? Would the Minister not agree, if he looks at his file, that the information he has given me is not factual and that whereas his letter states, and he states in the House, that supply was restored on Thursday my information and the information which I am led to believe is correct is that the supply was not restored until Saturday and, lastly——
Please, Deputy Power.
——can the Minister give me an assurance now——
If Deputies persist in ignoring the Chair in this fashion I shall have to invoke the Standing Orders. I regret it very much.
All I want is an assurance on behalf of voluntary members of a fire brigade that they will get priority.
The Chair will not tolerate this kind of behaviour. I must ask the Deputy to resume his seat. Otherwise, I will proceed to name him.
I am afraid the Deputy is being very unreasonable indeed. He received quite a proper answer to that; he knows the facts and he is simply using them to make a nuisance of himself.
(Interruptions.)
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I would like to raise this matter on the Adjournment.
I will communicate with the Deputy.
In so far as the Deputy has a point I would like to clear it up for the benefit of the House, if not for the Deputy who does know the answer. The point is that the installation in question is served by a polythene cable which was broken by falling trees. Another connection, which was served by an open wire, was restored more quickly because it is quicker to repair one kind of installation than another. The Deputy knows that and he has been deliberately wasting the time of the House.
Question No. 24, Deputy Lemass.
Let the people of Maynooth judge that.
(Interruptions.)
Deputy Power, please.
I could not hear, a Cheann Comhairle, whether or not you called Question No. 24.
I called Question No. 24.