asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when direct telephone dialling will be available to the 72 subscribers at Tournafulla post office, County Limerick.

In 1984.

16.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when direct dialling will be made available to subscribers in the Ballingarry area of south Tipperary.

17.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when automatic dialling will be made available to subscribers in the Killenaule area of south Tipperary.

18.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when automatic telephone dialling will be made available to subscribers in the Mullinahone area of south Tipperary.

I propose with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 16, 17 and 18 together.

It is hoped to provide automatic service at Ballingarry and Mullinahone towards the end of 1982, and at Killenaule in the first half of 1983.

What about Mullinahone?

The Minister mentioned Mullinahone in his reply.

19.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when a micro-wave link between Letterkenny and Sligo will come into service.

It is hoped to have the Letterkenny-Sligo microwave link in service by mid-1982.

20.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when the new co-axial cable between Letterkenny, Bridgend and Derry will come into service.

Work on the Letterkenny-Bridgend portion of the new co-axial cable has been completed. It is expected that work on the Bridgend-Derry section, for which the Northern Ireland Region of British Telecom is responsible, will be completed by mid-1982. The cable will then be available to carry traffic between Letterkenny and Derry and intermediate points on that route.

How many circuits will this provide?

About 300 circuits.

21.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will consider the provision of a public telephone at Tacumshane, County Wexford.

The provision of a public telephone kiosk at this location would not be warranted at present and it is not proposed, therefore, to provide one.

22.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the progress that has been made to give the Araglen area, County Cork, automatic telephone service through the 025 Fermoy code number.

Automatic telephone service for the Araglin area should be available about the end of next year. The digital equipment at Araglin will work through a new digital trunk switching exchange to be provided at Dungarvan, which is the most economical and practical means of providing automatic service for the area.

23.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will instruct his Department to construct a telephone kiosk immediately at Aphort, Arranmore Island, County Donegal.

It is expected that a kiosk will be provided at Aphort early in 1982.

The Minister used the phrase "it is expected". Would he assure me that this service will be provided by then? Is the Minister of State aware that on this side of the island there are no telephones with 24-hour service? This automatic service for Araglin would be a 24-hour service.

The Deputy has asked me if I have instructed my Department to construct a telephone kiosk immediately. I have given the Deputy an assurance that I will do that.

Do.

Good touch, Paddy.

24.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when it is envisaged that the new telephone exchange will be completed and ready for operation at New Ross, County Wexford.

25.

(Wexford) asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when the new telephone exchange at Barrack Lane, New Ross, County Wexford will come into operation.

I propose, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 24 and 25 together.

In about two months' time.

26.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when the new telephone exchange in Tralee, County Kerry, will come into operation.

About the middle of 1982.

27.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when a telephone service will be provided for Pobalscoil Neasáin, Baldoyle, Dublin 13.

Because of the volume of other work and the number of earlier applications on hands it is unlikely that it will be possible to provide service until well into next year.

Is the Minister aware that this is a rapidly developing new school? It is already catering for 300 students and projected increases in that area would be an additional 50 to 100 students within 12 months. Would the Minister not agree, therefore, that there is an urgent need for a proper telephone service here? What is available at present is a temporary line which is temperamental to say the least. Would the Minister also take into account the need for a service for this very large catchment area? It is serving a large number of organisations, and services in that school are being availed of by those organisations.

That is fully appreciated. The school about which the Deputy is talking applied in November 1980. We would like to give the service at once but cabling work must be carried out. One cannot provide a telephone service without cabling. This cabling work would be carried out but for the amount of work in Dublin city areas, which is a high priority at the moment. I am sorry that I cannot give the Deputy a better answer than that.