People were unable to get through to the emergency call service for Ireland for over an hour during the night after a system outage, according to the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications.
Approximately 227 callers were unable to reach the service during that period.
However, all those affected by the outage were followed up by gardaí, according to the company that manages the service.
The department said it was notified this morning by BT Communications Ireland Ltd (BTCIL) that the Emergency Call Answering Service could not handle calls between 1am and 2.15am.
BTCIL has a contract with the department to deliver the service for Ireland’s two emergency numbers - 112 and 999.
Both are free to call.
It informed the department that the outage affected approximately 227 callers, and all of them were followed up by gardaí.
Minister of State responsible for Communications, eGovernment and Circular Economy Ossian Smyth has been briefed on the incident.
He said the department has now sought a detailed and comprehensive report from BTCIL.
Mr Smyth said the immediate priority is to ensure there is no future risk of a similar occurrence.
He said the department would establish the precise circumstances that gave rise to the service outage and, in consultation with its legal advisers, determine the consequences under the contract.
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