asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when it is proposed that the digital exchange in Galway city will come into operation; and if there is any change in the forecast given under the development programme announced by his predecessor.

Work on the installation of the exchange is proceeding and the exchange is expected to be ready for service in about six months.

It had been tentatively scheduled to have the exchange in service by the end of this year but the building work took somewhat longer than expected and the exchange installation work will also take longer than had been envisaged.

The Minister has said that the installation work will take longer than had been envisaged. Is it because of the proposed cutback in the allocation of capital money for next year for the installation work on the exchanges, where some of the people doing the installation work were told their contracts will be cut by 40 per cent?

That is not the reason, much as the Deputy would like it to be. It is just the physical difficulty of having the work done.

I cannot accept that. It is not a five-year programme any more. It is a five-and-a-half-year programme but by the time the Minister is finished it will be a ten-year programme.

I can assure the Deputy that whether it is a five or a five-and-a-half-year programme he will not be there to conclude it.

9.