(Dublin South-Central): I propose with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 17, 18 and 19 together. The precise information sought by the Deputy is not readily available. The following information is indicative of the performance standards of the telephone repair service. Normally nearly 80 per cent of telephone faults are cleared on the day they are reported or on the following day and about 97 per cent are cleared within five days. The remainder are usually faults in underground cables which are often difficult to locate and repair.
Faults in the case of subscribers in priority categories for fault clearance are usually attended to the same day or the following day. The maximum delay in clearing a fault on a non-priority line does not exceed about 15 days in normal conditions.