asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he has received complaints of a faulty telephone service from Maynooth, County Kildare; and, if so, what he proposes to do in relation to the matter.

A small number of complaints about faults on individual subscribers' telephones were received recently and the faults have been remedied. There is some congestion at Maynooth exchange and additional equipment which will effect an improvement is in course of installation.

Is the Minister aware that it is impossible to mention the word "telephone" anywhere in County Kildare without getting a cry of derision about the inefficiency of the service all over the county and will the Minister, any day he likes to choose, come with me to an automatic telephone and we will dial ten times, and I guarantee that he will not get 50 per cent correct?

I know that we have spent a lot of money in Kildare on telephones.

During the by-election.

If you had followed up your by-election spending with a little maintenance to ensure it worked, it would be better. The telephone is a joke.

In my time we have done a tremendous amount of work there. Ask me for the figures as to the amount spent there.

The telephone service at present is a joke and that arises mainly from the inefficiency of the Minister's predecessor.

The Minister must be aware that even Fianna Fáil supporters cannot get connection.

It is a Fianna Fáil supporter who made this complaint.