asked the Minister for Transport and Power if the ESB will grant concessions in the price of electricity to those engaged in the glasshouse industry.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Electricity for Glasshouse Industry.
63.
I am informed by the ESB that, generally, in the case of supplies to commercial growers standard rates of charge apply. However, special tariff concessions have already been given in the case of lighting and electric heating for plant propagation and growing. This concession also applies to all electric preheating loads associated with oil heating plants, if they are separately wired and metered. It is not envisaged that any further concessions will be granted to commercial growers at present.
Is the Minister aware that much of the profits from the glasshouse industry have been absorbed because the ESB are charging 5d a unit for electric heating which is used mostly at night when the price should be even cheaper? Does he mean to say that facilities have been offered to the industry, the tomato growers and the plant propagation people, by the ESB at 5d a unit? I would ask him to ask the ESB to have another look at the situation. I feel they are squeezing the profits from the glasshouse producers.
Indeed, I will but, just to get the matter right, I would ask the Deputy to remind the Irish Commercial and Horticultural Association with whom we have had discussions already and to whom we put certain queries in response to which they agreed to furnish further information—this was last December—that this information is still awaited from them. Certainly, I would be very glad to get that information from them, to have any discussions with them and to try to thrash this matter out.
It is my duty to mediate on behalf of these people. I am doing that and I am asking the Minister to ask the ESB to reconsider the proposal that they put forward.
If Deputy Foley comes in to me with any deputation from the Irish Commercial and Horticultural Association I will be glad to meet them with Deputy Foley and to have the relevant officers of the ESB present.
It is the ordinary glasshouse people that I am interested in.
It does not matter who comes with Deputy Foley.
What about Deputy Burke? He will not like that.