asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when telephones will be installed in the small industries in Limerick (details supplied) and why these industries were waiting so long for these facilities at great expense to the companies.

(Dublin South-Central): Six of the nine applicants have been given service. It is expected that service will be provided early next year for the remaining three applicants.

The delay in providing service for these three, who applied within the last six months, is due to the volume of urgent engineering work on hands in Limerick City and the many earlier applicants that have to be attended to first.

Is the Minister aware that there are small family industries without any State subvention and, even though there is great potential for the business, because of lack of service facilities these people find themselves going out of business? It is not fair for the Minister to state that next year they will have telephones. Of course they should get priority and should be given telephones immediately. I do not accept the excuse he has offered for not installing them.

Question No. 21.

One industry had a telephone and wanted only an extension. It took six months to instal that extension. There is something seriously wrong with the Minister's information regarding the installation of telephones. I am not accepting the Minister's excuse.

(Dublin South-Central): My Department give priority to any industry where there is potential employment. The applications from the people whom the Deputy speaks of here were submitted in mid-October 1978. We have to take a broad view from an industrial standpoint of the applicants in Limerick who require telephones and to look at the number of people employed. There are firms in Limerick with more people employed than some of the companies mentioned by the Deputy. That does not take away from the fact that we take a serious view of the concept of providing telephones as soon as possible.

Where is their opportunity to expand their business when they cannot promote them because of lack of telephone facilities? I tell the Minister that the potential is very good from the point of view of the industries I have referred to but, they have no chance of promoting their businesses because they have no telephone facilities.

I am calling Question No. 21.

I know a man who has a business in Cork and he is an outstanding success and yet, because of lack of telephone facilities, he knows that he is not getting the full potential from his business. What is important is that he can give more employment. That is what it is all about.

(Dublin South-Central): We have to take into consideration the number of people employed in each of these industries. The Deputy is as well aware as I am of the number of people employed.

The Minister will agree——

Deputy Lipper, we have permitted you a good deal of latitute——

——that they are not getting a fair opportunity because of the lack of amenities in the telephone service.

There are P & T vans going around at the back of——

Deputy Killilea, it is not permitted to be disorderly. Order, please.

I am calling Question No. 21.

21.