andMr. O'Dea asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he is aware that the billing telephone method used by his Department has caused public disquiet; his plans, if any, to change this system or, at least, to change the manner in which a subscriber's bill is explained to him by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

: I am not aware that the method of billing has given rise to disquiet. However, ways in which the presentation of the bill could be improved and subscribers given a better understanding of how the bills are made up have been receiving on-going consideration. A leaflet explaining the make-up of telephone bills was issued with the recent quarterly accounts. Other improvements such as giving meter readings, the date of meter readings and the destination of calls made via the operator are being examined and, if found to be practicable, will be introduced later this year. The possibility of giving details of metered trunk calls is also being explored and may be implemented on a pilot basis towards the end of this year at an appropriate fee to cover the costs involved.

: The Minister must be aware that the billing system is a cause of major disquiet to consumers. Will he inform the House if there has been any progress with regard to providing a two-monthly billing system rather than the quarterly bills now being issued? Such bills are very large due to recent increases and people find it difficult to remember the telephone calls they have made. The present system is causing disquiet and it requires an immediate overhaul.

: The Department have no plans to introduce a system providing for bills every two months. To improve the understanding of the billing system, reporters from the national press and RTE were invited in January last to inspect the system. A number of "open days" were launched throughout the country where the general public were given an opportunity to study the system.

: Is the Minister seriously telling the House he is not aware that the problem of overcharging of telephone accounts is the cause of much worry? Deputies are aware of the situation because they are getting an enormous number of inquiries on this point. I had not intended to intervene on this question but I was amazed that the Minister does not seem to be aware of the extent of the problem. I suggest to him that he would commit himself today to ensuring an improvement in the area of overcharging. What advice will he give to subscribers who receive bills for extremely large amounts? Should they pay the bill and claim a refund, or should they dispute the amount there and then?

: The number of mistakes is in the region of 2 per cent — 98 per cent of the accounts are correct but I am not satisfied that even 2 per cent should be incorrect. The general aim is to improve the system so that we reduce that percentage. Most of the bills are calculated by computer: it is not the computer that makes a mistake but the information fed into it may be incorrect.