asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will state the success, or otherwise, of his experiment in the laying on of heating facilities in selected tomato houses in the Donegal Gaeltacht and the cost of the installation of these facilities.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Donegal Tomato Experiment.
The heating tests carried out last season in connection with the Gaeltacht glasshouse scheme in the Gortahork district of Donegal on the whole proved encouraging from the point of view of production. Yields of tomatoes in the two heated houses showed satisfactory increases over theaverage of the four preceding seasons' yields in these houses.
The cost of the boilers, which are turf fuelled, including the cost of piping, labour etc. amounted to the considerable sum of £437 each.
The tests with these boilers will be continued in the coming season. In addition, in conjunction with Bord na Móna, a test with a new type of boiler, Irish made, cheaper, and believed to be more economical, is being arranged.
Is the Minister aware that a firm in the City of Dublin can supply the heating appliances at much less than £100 per unit and would he seek the advice of this firm, prior to carrying out the expensive experiment which he did carry out? In view of the success of it, however, will he continue to experiment with the heating of these houses?
Mr. Walsh
We are going to have an Irish-made boiler tried out next year, as I indicated in my reply.
Did I hear the Minister correctly when I understood him to say that the heating unit in each of the houses cost £437?
Mr. Walsh
The cost of the heating was £437.
The unit as opposed to the fuel?
Mr. Walsh
The heating. That included heating, piping, labour and so on. These were all included in the heating of the house for the year.
It includes fuel?
Mr. Walsh
Yes, and labour costs.
What was the cost of the installation?
Mr. Walsh
The cost of the boiler was £105.
Where did the other £330 go?
Mr. Walsh
On fuel, piping and labour costs.
I should like to get that segregated. The Minister, in fairnessto himself, should take the opportunity of segregating the different headings under which the cost fell, because it does sound a little odd to say that the heating of one unit cost £437.
Mr. Walsh
As I have indicated, that was the cost of heating—the cost of the unit, piping, labour and fuel.
Perhaps the Minister at his convenience would arrange to let us have a segregation of that cost?
Mr. Walsh
Yes, I could do that.