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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 28 Apr 1982

Vol. 333 No. 8

Private Notice Questions. - Restoration of Dublin Telephone Service.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if, in view of the recent collapse in Dublin city of two old buildings with consequent danger to the public, and the total failure of his Department to respond to repeated requests from Dublin Corporation and public representatives to have the 24-hour telephone service to the dangerous buildings section of the corporation repaired, he will indicate in the interests of public safety when service will be restored.

I share the Deputy's concern that the dangerous buildings service provided by Dublin Corporation should not be impeded for want of telephone facilities. The telephone number of the service is 746235, which is answered in Belvedere Court during normal office hours. This telephone is working normally. However, there is a fault on a tie-line to an after-office-hours location. Callers to 746235 after office hours are advised to ring an alternative number 420174. Both 746235 and 420174 are afforded the highest priority. And investigation is being carried out into the fault on the tie-line.

Would the Minister of State agree that buildings do not have the kind of discipline that you or I have and, therefore, do not arrange to fall down during office hours? Arising from that unfortunate lack of discipline on their part there is a necessity for a 24-hour emergency service and a caller who rings the first telephone number which the Minister cited to the House will get an automatic answering service. The reaction of many people in panic on hearing such a service is to abandon listening to it any further. The problem is one of the maintenance section of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs fixing this tie-line.

I am in a profession similar to that of Deputy Quinn, and so I am well aware of the difficulties with buildings and the possible danger involved in the collapse of a building. I assure the Deputy that I have given specific instructions that this tie-line will be repaired forthwith and I hope that that will be cleared within the next few days. The facilities have been provided with an answering call on this line which will go to a phone which is numbered. Both those phones are maintained by my Department on a 24-hours basis. I thank the Deputy for bringing this to our attention and I assure him that the matter will be attended to as a top priority.

In thanking the Minister of State for his reply I ask him, on behalf of Dublin Corporation, if his Department will now pay for the cost of the advertisement which had to be placed in the newspapers during the breakdown of this service and also for the hiring of the automatic answering service.

I would not be able to give that type of assurance to the Deputy. We provided an alternative service to Dublin Corporation.

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