asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when additional telephone exchange equipment will be installed in order to allow additional subscribers to be connected in Tramore town, County Waterford and if he will make a statement on the matter.

(Dublin South-Central): A 500 line extension to Tramore telephone exchange, which will increase subscriber capacity by 50 per cent, will be brought into service towards the end of this year.

31.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he is aware that residents in Tramore, County Waterford are having difficulty making trunk calls and if he will indicate the reasons for this problem.

(Dublin South-Central): Difficulty can be experienced at busy periods in making trunk calls from Tramore, County Waterford because of overloading in the trunk network. Additional trunk circuits will be provided between Tramore and Waterford towards the end of this year and between Waterford and Dublin about the middle of next year.

32.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he is aware of the need for a public telephone kiosk to serve the residents of Tramore Heights housing estate in Tramore, County Waterford, and if he will make a statement on the matter.

(Dublin South-Central): A kiosk to serve the Tramore Heights and adjoining areas will be provided as soon as possible after a suitable site has been selected and the necessary consents obtained.

33.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs why priority classification has not been granted to an application for a telephone service (details supplied) where the applicant is on 24 hour call from the Pathology Department of the Regional Hospital, Galway.

(Dublin South-Central): Because of a shortage of equipment at the local exchange connections have had to be restricted for some time past to the highest priority applications. The application concerned is not considered to be in this category.

34.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will provide a public telephone at Ardan, Bandon, County Cork.

(Dublin South-Central): The use likely to be made of a telephone kiosk at Ardan would not be sufficient to warrant its provision and it is not proposed, therefore, to provide one there at this stage.