asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when the public telephone at Fedamore, Kilmallock, County Limerick, will be repaired.
Written Answers. - Telephone Service.
323.
The kiosk at Fedamore will be restored to service within the next week.
324.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when the public telephone at Doon, County Limerick, will be repaired.
It is expected that service to the public telephone in Doon will be restored within the next week or so.
325.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the reason the telephone rental being charged to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick is £33 per quarter.
It is regretted that because of clerical error the telephone rental for the person named was not reduced following the opening of a new exchange at Dooradoyle.
Arrangements have now been made to reduce the rental and a suitable rebate will be allowed in a future account.
326.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will consider altering the billing procedure for telephone subscribers in view of the widespread dissatisfaction with the present system; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The telephone billing system is reviewed on a continuing basis and numbers of changes have been made over the past year or so to improve its reliability. For example, most persons making trunk calls via the operators are now rung back. Meters for installation in users' homes which will enable them to watch and check their meter usage will be available shortly in quantity at an extra charge for those who want them. An experiment is also being conducted in the Naas area in the current quarter of supplying details of subscriber dialled trunk calls to a small number of customers. The extension of this type of detailed billing was programmed for detailed consideration by my Department in the light of the likely demand for it and the costs involved. There is a perception among people that the billing system is somehow inaccurate. I have instituted a thorough examination of the system to see how it can be improved.
As the Deputy will be aware, responsibility for the operation of the telecommunications services is to be vested in Bord Telecom Éireann from 1 January 1984. I am aware that the interim Bord Telecom are conscious of the need to improve the billing system and that it is being examined in detail by them including the question of detailed billing.