asked the Minister for Tourism and Transport if he is aware of the frustration and chaos recently at Shannon Airport following the emergency involving an American airliner with more than 250 passengers on board when these passengers, who had been safely evacuated, could not make prompt use of telephones to contact relatives in the US because the number of public telephones is totally inadequate even for everyday needs; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

There are 16 public telephones in Shannon Airport, all of which were available for use by passengers on the occasion mentioned by the Deputy. No complaint concerning delays in the making of telephone calls was made to the airport authority by any passenger. While I appreciate that very exceptional circumstances may arise on occasions when there may be some delay in making calls I am satisfied that the public telephone facilities at the airport are adequate.