(Dublin Central) asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the total number of telephones damaged or destroyed in the year 1975; and the cost of repairing the damage.

I assume that the question relates to telephones in public kiosks. There were approximately 3,500 instances of telephone kiosks being damaged or destroyed during 1975. The cost of repair was about £99,000.

(Dublin Central): Has the Minister any proposals on how this can be minimised? We all realise the amount of vandalism, particularly in cities, that is taking place but I should like to know if the Minister, or his Department, have any proposals on how this can be reduced. Has any survey been carried out on this matter?

This is not so much a question of proposals or surveys as of measures which have been taken to combat vandalism. New specially designed reinforced coin boxes have been installed, 202 in the Dublin area and 16 in the provinces. Of course, Dublin is the main problem area here. Of the total of 3,500 cases of vandalisation, 3,000 are Dublin cases. Such coin boxes are proving very useful in combating vandalism. Some further boxes of this type are being installed. Steel plates to which the coin box can be bolted have now been fitted in about 770 kiosks with the object of preventing removal of the coin boxes. Continuous fluorescent lighting has been installed in more than 2,100 kiosks and an alarm system has been fitted in 99 kiosks which alerts the local manual exchanges— this is in the provinces—by lighting a special lamp if the coin box is being interfered with. The number of cases of extensive physical damage to kiosks has diminished as a result of the introduction of strengthened coin boxes. Of this rather alarming total of 3,500 some have not been very extensively damaged and the phones were out of service only for a short period.

(Dublin Central): Is there any indication in regard to what part of the city this vandalism occurs?

I would not like to designate a particular area.