asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when people awaiting telephone service for more than two years may expect to receive same.

It is expected that the majority of these will be given service this year and almost all the remainder next year.

Will the Minister accept that two years or more is a long time to wait for a phone, particularly for business people? What can people expect? I appreciate the Minister is only a short time in the Department and that he cannot work miracles, but can he say that he will try to provide this service without delay particularly for people waiting two years or more?

The Minister accepts what the Deputy is saying. I hope the Deputy will also accept that the reply to his question is an exact reply. It is expected that the majority of those will be given service this year, 1980. Almost all the remainder will get service next year.

Arising out of that, would the Minister accept that he appears to be implying that some of those people who are already waiting for two years will not be included in the majority to be serviced this year, or in the balance to be serviced next year but could run into a fifth year of waiting?

The Minister is not satisfied with that situation but there are extenuating circumstances. For example, in certain areas there is a huge poling operation to be done covering perhaps four or five miles and there is expensive cabling to follow to provide the service. The demand is so tremendous that one must take the entire situation as it is. I am being realistic in telling the Deputy that the vast majority—and I say it in the context that the question requires—will be serviced. There will be exceptional cases, but there will of course be reason in these exceptional cases.

Is it correct that the vast majority of the people who have their applications in for two years or more will be serviced this year?

Yes.

Would that be 90 per cent of them?

I would not say 90 per cent. Let us say it would be in excess of 75 per cent.