asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the normal waiting period for applicants for telephone installations for private houses in Limerick city; and how soon an improvement may be expected.

An extension of exchange equipment at Limerick exchange is expected to be completed about the middle of next year. In the meantime applications for telephones in the private residences of persons such as doctors, clergymen, et cetera, are attended to on a priority basis. Other applications for residence telephones are subject to varying periods of delay depending upon date of application. About 100 such applications received in the period August to October last will be cleared shortly. Most non-priority applications made subsequently will, I regret, have to be deferred until the extension of the exchange has been completed. The average waiting period is estimated at about ten months.

54.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs where in South Kerry the six telephone kiosks referred to in reply to a Parliamentary question on the 8th March, 1972, will be sited.

It is intended that the telephone kiosks referred to will be provided at Caherdaniel, Castlemaine, Headford, Kilcummin, Kilgobnet and Tahilla.

55.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when the telephone exchanges in Loughrea, Gort and Athenry, County Galway, will become automatic.

It is expected that Loughrea and Athenry telephone exchanges will be converted to automatic working in three years and Gort in four to five years.

I am sure the Parliamentary Secretary is aware that we have automatic and direct dialling to Brussels at the moment?

I will take the Deputy's word for it.

It appears that Loughrea, Athenry and Gort will have to wait four or five years.

56.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will take steps to remedy the delay of up to three weeks between the issue of a telephone to a subscriber and the recording of the subscriber's new number in the directory inquiries section of his Department, so that persons telephoning directory inquiries will be furnished with the new number on demand; and, if not, why.

New telephone numbers are normally entered in the records of the directory inquiries section within three to four days after service is provided. The arrangements for handling this information are being examined in order to ensure that there is no avoidable delay in entering new telephone numbers in the exchange records.