asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when automatic dialling will be made available to subscribers in the Cappawhite and Hollyford areas, County Tipperary.

: It is expected that automatic dialling will be made available in the Cappawhite area towards the end of this year and in the Hollyford area early next year.

22.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when a telephone service will be provided for a person (details supplied) in Dublin 11 who applied three years ago.

: It is expected that service will be provided within about a year.

23.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the reason a telephone service has not been provided for a person (details supplied) in Dublin 5 who paid connection and rental fees last September for service which was to have been provided before Christmas.

: Service has been provided for the person named.

: When was service provided?

: Service was provided on 1 April 1983.

: Does that mean service was provided almost six months after connection fees and advance rentals were paid? Is that the normal situation?

: No.

: Why did it happen in this case?

: The cable allocated was found to be faulty. That was the cause of the delay.

24.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the duration of time before a subscriber obtains a reply to a call to the Dublin telephone exchange after dialling; and the total number of operators employed in the Dublin telephone exchanges in 1981 and 1982.

: The average time taken at the central telephone exchange in Dublin to reply to callers is 13 seconds. The average number of operators employed in 1981 was 1,920 and in 1982 was 1,815.

: I noticed that the Minister could not keep a straight face when giving that reply. Has he tried to dial the Dublin telephone exchange any evening after 6.30 p.m.?

: I use the telephone service very often.

: That is a separate question.

: It is part of my question.

: Perhaps the Minister does not need to use the telephone exchange.

: Is the Minister aware that more than 250 part-time operators were let go some months ago and have not been replaced? Is that contributing to the present foul-up in the telephone exchange?

: The speed of answer at the exchanges at Dame Court, Saint Andrew Street and Hely Buildings is improving gradually, whether Deputies believe it or not. The average time to reply to a caller is 13 seconds.

: A final supplementary.

: There are very few supplementaries one could ask arising out of the Minister's reply, but he knows as well as I do that his reply is totally inaccurate.

25.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when an automatic telephone service will be provided for the Ballinamult area, County Waterford.

: Early next year.

: Could the Minister give the reason why there was such a long delay?

: There was no undue delay. Like every other place, service will be provided as soon as possible.

: Surely the Minister is not serious when he gives that type of reply. There has been a long delay in this case and a commitment was given a long time ago——

: A question please, Deputy.

: ——which has not been honoured. Why do we have to wait until next year for a service which was ready last year? What difficulties arose in the provision of this service?

: I am giving the Deputy a commitment that the service will be provided next year.

: Is the Minister saying no difficulties were encountered as regards the provision of this service?

: Considerable difficulties have been experienced in providing the Ballinamult building. Completion was expected in 1979 but the contractors did not hand over the building until January 1981.

: First the Minister said there was no delay involved in the provision of this service but he has now admitted there was. Perhaps now he will answer my supplementary. What caused the delay and what length of time was involved?

: Completion of the building was expected in 1979 but it was not completed until January 1981.

: Why was the building not finished by the given date? What happened?

: These were golden years when Deputy Fahey's party were in power.

: I have no explanation.

: These were the good times and we are supposed to be on our knees praying to get back to them.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when a telephone kiosk will be provided at Kilross, County Tipperary, as promised last year.

: The current kiosk programme is under review at present and it is not possible to give a definite forecast as to when the kiosk will be provided at Kilross. I will communicate with the Deputy as soon as the review is completed.

: Why was there such undue delay in providing this kiosk?

: A submission is being made to the Government in relation to this kiosk. There is no definitive answer to the reason why there was such a long delay.

: Does the Minister realise that his predecessor, Deputy Harte, faithfully promised in November 1981 he would instruct his Department to have this kiosk installed immediately, because there is no kiosk in this village and people cannot get emergency services. The Minister's predecessor appreciated the problem. I wonder what has happened in the interim?

: I presume his predecessor appreciated it as well.

: Will the Minister do something about it?

: I certainly will.

: What year?

: Next year.

: Is there any mention in the Minister's brief of the reasons for the delay, because there have been considerable delays? The Minister should tell the House the reasons for the delay.

: Question No. 27.

: No reply?

27.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the number of telephones per 100 of the population in Ireland at the end of 1982.

: There were 22 telephones per 100 of the population in Ireland at the end of 1982.

28.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when a telephone kiosk will be erected at Kilcurley (Kilkerley), Dundalk, County Louth.

: Kilcurley is not included in this year's programme. It will be considered for inclusion in a future programme.

: Has the site for the telephone kiosk been selected?

: Yes.

: What is the difficulty with the erection of the kiosk since there is a telephone available in the post office?

: It is not included in this year's programme in competition with other applications for similar services.

: Since it is simply a matter of taking the telephone out of the nearby post office and installing it in the kiosk, could the Minister tell us why it is not included?

: It is not included for the simple reason that it would be in competition with other applications for similar services.

: The remaining question will appear on tomorrow's Order Paper.