I should like to thank the Chair for allowing me to raise this very important matter. While this issue may not seem important on the surface it will cause much inconvenience to people involved in business. I am glad the Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Transport and Communications is present to reply to the debate because the new method of dialling will cause most inconvenience to people involved in business, tourism and manufacturing.
There are other considerations involved. First, I should like to establish whether Telecom Éireann sought permission from the Minister to agree to the dialling code. When British Telecom first requested Telecom Éireann to change the dialling system did Telecom Éireann consult the Minister? It is important that we establish this point. This is far too important an issue for a unilateral decision to have been taken on it.
In future Dublin will be treated as a foreign capital as far as telephone calls from Northern Ireland are concerned. Telecom Éireann should have consulted the Minister before they agreed to this proposal with British Telecom. In the past people from the North used the code 0001 to get through to Dublin. In future a person from Newry will have to use the British international access code, 021, Ireland's international code, 353 and the Dublin code to get through to a number in Dublin which may have seven digits. The implications of this for business and our tourism industry are serious.
It was irresponsible of Telecom Éireann to agree to this proposal in order to facilitate British Telecom. Telecom Éireann are going down the same road as British Telecom in terms of privatisation. While Telecom Éireann may have agreed to change the dialling code in order to facilitate British Telecom it will also be of benefit to them on the road to privatisation. This change has been introduced by the back door and Telecom Éireann should not have agreed to it. Essentially what we are doing is increasing the number of communication barriers between the North and South at a time when we should be reducing them: we are putting further obstacles in the way of greater communication between the two parts of this island. This is not desirable in this day and age.
Perhaps the Minister can give me a reasonable explanation as to why Telecom Éireann took this rather strange decision to accede to the request of British Telecom. I sincerely hope the Minister had an input into this decision as its implications for this country are quite serious.
