asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if there are proposals in his Department to transfer part of the 052 area to Waterford exchange 051; if so, if this will result in a reduction of exchange staff in all grades at Clonmel exchange; and the proposals he has in relation to the existing staff in this district.

The intention is that under fully automatic conditions operator services for the 052 area will be provided at Waterford exchange. The manual exchange at Clonmel will, however, be retained for some time although there will be a gradual reduction in staffing there according as manual exchanges served by Clonmel exchange are converted to automatic working and the volume of operator-assisted calls declines.

Employment at other exchanges will be available for full-time day staff who opt to transfer. Arrangements which will apply to to other staff have been agreed on a national basis with the staff organisations concerned.

I am not satisfied with the Minister's reply. I do not like the idea of other exchanges. I should like to ask the Minister if he is aware that there are 80 people involved. What is the Minister's intention in regard to the placing of the 80 people who do not wish to go to Waterford, the exchange mentioned? Those people do not wish to be discommoded. Yesterday we heard of the people in Dublin who wish to go home and today I am telling the Minister about the people in Clonmel who wish to stay in that town rather than be sent to Waterford. There are 35 people involved and I should like to know what employment the Minister intends to provide for those who do not wish to go to Waterford.

I have great sympathy for the Deputy's point of view but the fact is that, as we go automatic, operators will be made redundant. That is a fact we cannot run away from. In an attempt to overcome the grave personal difficulties which many operators find themselves in, such as those outlined by the Deputy, the Department have agreed with the unions representing the staff to give very generous redundancy payments, far in excess of anything ever dreamed of before on this island because it is a once-off situation. I should like to assure the House and the Deputy that any reasonable request put forward by those operators will be sympathetically considered by the Minister and the Department. There is no easy answer to this problem and I appreciate the Deputy's concern, but there is not anything the Deputy or I can do about it.