asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if his attention has been drawn to the loss of business, particularly in exports, to firms in County Donegal due to the unsatisfactory telex service to areas of that county.

Telex service to County Donegal is, in general, satisfactory. There were, however, difficulties with the telex service in the northern part of the county on a number of occasions over a period of a few weeks in March-April last when the insulation of a cable was damaged while underground cable was being laid between Letterkenny and Milford. Every effort was made to restore service as quickly as possible for the subscribers concerned when these breakdowns occurred. I am aware that these breakdowns did cause problems for telex subscribers affected.

Would the Minister take a look at the service to the rest of the county? In view of what the Minister has stated the investigation which has been carried out does not show a factual expose of the situation. Would he reinvestigate it to find out how bad the service really is? Would the Minister tell the House whether the overall telephone, telex and the cable link between Donegal and Dublin via Sligo are out of order day in and day out, week in and week out? Any time it rains heavily they are sure to be out of order. This has been going on for years. Will the Minister do something about this because despite Deputy Donnellan's claim that Galway has the worst service we make that claim.

We will not argue about that. In reply to the Deputy's question about having a thorough investigation carried out I will see to that. There are 48 applicants waiting for a telex service in all of County Donegal, Instructions have been issued to provide a service to six of these and offers of the service have been made to a further five. A major trunking scheme for the telex service in Donegal is at present in hand and is expected to be completed later this year. This scheme will increase the capacity of the Donegal telex network by over 140 channels. It is expected to bring into service later this year a new radio link to Sligo to supplement the existing coaxial trunk cable. Provision for the new radio link should result in an improvement of the quality of telex service provided generally in County Donegal.

I thank the Minister for all that information. In regard to the coaxial cable via Sligo to Donegal, is there not something radically wrong with it?

The Deputy is aware of the new central exchange in Sligo itself.

It has nothing to do with central exchanges. Is the Minister aware from the persistent breakdowns on the line that supplementing it by any radio link or anything else is not the answer? The cable is defective and has been defective almost since the day it was installed 23 years ago.

I recognise the Deputy's point. The coaxial cable has not been very successful. However, the micro link will be an alternative.

I notice that communication between the Minister and the Minister for State is much better on the micro-link information than is the case in respect of trying to get a telephone number in County Donegal.

The Deputy got the answer by way of written reply.

The Minister has got the number right at last.

The Minister agrees that it is disgraceful——

I have not said that.

——that some of these business firms applied more than two years ago for telex and that there are not yet any plans to connect them within the next 12 months. There are no railways, no roads and now no telex.

Within two months we will be offering 140 extra channels to County Donegal while the number of applications is only 48.

I should like to raise on the Adjournment the subject matter of Question No. 191 on the Order Paper.

The Chair will communicate with the Deputy. The remaining questions will appear on tomorrow's Order Paper.