asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will make a general statement concerning the fuel position; and if he will indicate the extent to which turf has been transported to the non-turf areas.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Fuel Position.
As Deputies are aware, stocks of domestic fuel were completely exhausted by the end of last winter. The difficulties of increasing output in this season were increased by the late start in turf production and the unsuitable weather which prevailed up to July. To some extent the good weather since early August has retrieved the position by enabling the turf that had been cut to be well saved, but nothing could entirely make up for the effects of the bad start, and as a result, the 1947 turf crop is substantially smaller than that of previous years, smaller even than the bad crop of 1946. Firewood production was, however, encouraged so far as that was possible without infringing on the labour required for the more important work of producing turf. In the outcome, present stocks of turf and firewood combined are somewhat less than turf stocks at this time last year, and it is necessary to utilise a part of the U.S.A. coal supplies to fill the ration for the current period in the non-turf area. The prospect for the coming winter in the non-turf areas is, therefore, that by the controlled distribution of coal, turf and firewood it should be possible to avoid the severe hardships which developed in last winter and early spring.
It is intended to reserve the limited supplies of turf and firewood for household use. Other fuel users in the non-turf areas who failed to take the advice given them so strongly early in the year to produce turf for themselves cannot depend on getting supplies of turf or firewood from the national pool. So far as supplies permit they will be allowed to purchase coal under permit, but they must pay the full economic price of such coal and will not benefit by the subsidy which the Government has decided to pay in the case of domestic fuel.
The turf areas will have to rely on turf; the quantity of coal which we have in stock or in sight will not permit of any general issue of coal for domestic purposes in these areas. The most that can be done is to provide limited quantities of coal to certain institutions and industrial concerns in order to relieve the strain on the reduced turf supplies.
In regard to the needs of industry, it will be possible to continue to provide coal for some time to come on a basis not less favourable than the present. Fortunately it has been found possible to make better provision for gas and electricity production and the public will continue to reap the benefit in the form of less stringent restrictions than those which operated last winter.
So far as the second part of the Deputy's question is concerned, the quantity of turf which was transported to the non-turf areas in the period from the 1st July to the end of September was approximately 250,000 tons.
Will the Minister, with a general view to conserving supplies, consider examining the possibility of collecting the slack from the coal in the dumps, before dispatching it, and briquetting it at certain centres, because there are industrial users who would use those briquettes?
And are getting them. There is a number of briquetting centres operated by coal merchants and, so far as I know, they are all fully employed. I think I am correct in saying that they are working 24 hours a day.
When the Minister sends out two tons of coal to a baker in rural Ireland it arrives in the form of about 25 cwt. of coal, which will rest on the bars of the oven and 15 cwt. of slack which simply goes straight through the bars. If that slack were briquetted it might serve as an adequate ration for a rural bakehouse if the owner got nothing but briquettes.
The point that I have been putting to the Deputy is that there are a limited number of briquetting plants in the country. They are all fully employed and the output of briquettes cannot be increased.
A lot of this slack has been blown about the Phoenix Park and would it not be well if it were used for briquetting?
The total capacity of the briquetting plants cannot be increased.
Could not the number of briquetting plants be increased?
They are being installed as they can be procured.