I regret that it has not been possible to provide service for firms in the Sandyford industrial estate when they need it. Clearly, I recognise the need of the industrialists and others there for telephone and telex service. Obviously it would be much more satisfactory from every point of view and much easier for me to be able to meet requirements as and when they arise than to have to explain why service cannot be provided but we are dealing here with facts and we must be realistic in facing them. I will outline these briefly in the time at my disposal and put the situation in Sandyford industrial estate in context.
The present unsatisfactory position of the telephone service stems from underinvestment in the service over many years to a point where, as the independent Posts and Telegraphs Review Group pointed out in 1979, it was in a state of crisis. The Government recognised that fact, accepted the importance of a high quality telecommunications service for the economic and social life of the country and embarked on a five-year telephone development programme. That programme, costing about £850 million at 1981 prices, is designed to bring the standard of service here up to the level in other countries in terms of availability and quality.
When the programme got under way in 1980, the waiting list for telephones was about 85,000. The highest rate of connections made in any year up to then was marginally over 40,000. Demand was over 60,000 a year. The STD failure rate on some of the main routes in the country was 40 per cent. These two statistics put the current position in context.
The time-scale for meeting the targets is five years. The Posts and Telegraphs Review Group saw this as a minimum period and recognised the difficulties there would be in meeting the programme targets in such a short time. It is interesting to note that what we were aiming at at the end of the five-year programme was to reach the standard that had obtained in other EEC countries when we started the programme.
The first requirement in improving the telephone service is to build up the infrastructure of the service itself in terms of buildings — some 500 of which were needed — replacing or extending all existing telephone exchanges, strengthening the various trunk routes throughout the country and developing the local cabling network. The recruitment and training of some thousands of staff are also involved. It is understandable, therefore, that it would take some time before the results of the substantial investment made in the telephone service become evident in the form of a much improved performance. The programme is broadly on target and I am confident that the objectives of a high quality service, with applications being met promptly by the end of 1984, will be achieved. If I say that the waiting list at present is a little over 80,000 and that we would hope to instal at least 80,000 telephones this year, it may put conveniently in perspective the progress made.
I might add that without seeking to score any political points, and the Deputy mentioned he was not making a political point, the position in Dublin both in regard to repairs and to installation of new phones would be better than it were if not for an embargo placed by the Government in July 1981 on the recruitment of staff, preventing badly needed staff for cabling and jointing work from being recruited. While that embargo was subsequently lifted and the men are being recruited and trained, valuable time has been lost.
I have thought it desirable to spell out at some length the background to the current position in regard to the installation of telephones in the hope that there will be a somewhat better appreciation of the problems involved.
Turning to the position now in the Sandyford and Stillorgan industrial estates, these are major ongoing developments. To provide for the general development in the area, a new telephone exchange building is being erected on Kilgobbin Road. This building will house a modern telephone exchange which will have the capacity to handle up to 20,000 lines eventually. Pending that exchange being brought into service, telephone service in the area is being provided by a number of mobile automatic exchanges which are currently serving over 1,000 working lines and have capacity to serve a further 2,000. Underground cabling is being laid and brought into service as quickly as possible. A new 2,000 line main underground cable to the industrial estate has recently been laid and work is currently in progress in laying distribution feeder cables to individual buildings. These are the essential preliminary works to enable telephone service to be provided.
Altogether there are at present applications for some 1,000 lines awaiting attention in the general area, at least 400 of which are for lines in the industrial estates. These applications will be met as quickly as practicable with the available manpower resources and subject to the constraints of the various site development works in progress in the industrial estates by builders. I would hope that provision of service will not be unduly delayed for Sun Freeze and others and everything possible will be done to meet the applications as quickly as possible.
Finally, might I say that throughout the country there are pressing needs on the part of industrialists and business firms generally for new and additional telephone, telex and data lines, conversion of manual exchanges to automatic working, provision of improved STD services and for better maintenance of existing services. Deputies will be well aware of the constant volume of representations being received every day from every corner of the country. Clearly it is essential that we should press ahead with developments throughout the country with the maximum possible speed involving a major commitment of finance, manpower and other resources. This is being done to the maximum extent practicable but I must emphasise that it is not expected to be possible to eliminate the waiting list generally, including that in Dublin, until the end of 1984. There is a clear limit to the amount that can be achieved in the short term and, regrettably, many companies and individuals will continue to experience some difficulties and delays meantime but on a gradually diminished scale.
The Dáil adjourned at 10.15 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 8 July 1982.
