Might I first take the opportunity of complimenting Deputy Kitt on a speech which I believe may well have been his maiden one. I compliment him on his presentation and wish him well in his sojourn in this House.
I am glad to have an opportunity of speaking on this Estimate for the Department of Transport and Power and of referring straight away to the Minister's speech, a large portion of which is concerned with the issue of energy, which is very topical at present. Obviously it is topical because, for a small country such as ours, a situation in which there is an increase in cost to the nation of an additional £130 million as a result of what is termed the oil crisis is indeed a crisis for this country and is the major factor in the entire issue of inflation and all aspects of the economy about which we are disturbed at present. Whilst there is a good deal of pessimism abroad throughout the Western world because of this issue, we need to emphasise the positive and look at the areas in which opportunity lies for us.
The Minister referred briefly to the question of oil resources off our own shores. With the opportunity that this Estimate presents to us, it is important to comment on the distinct possibilities there are for a contribution to the Exchequer from Irish off-shore oil. I realise there were frustrations for some time because the relevant Minister had not published the terms on which licences might be issued. However, having said that, he had problems which affected more than his own Department; they were matters which affected the Department of Finance, the Attorney-General, very substantial matters requiring fundamental consideration. The basis on which licences are being granted has struck a very fair balance, taking into account the interests of our people, at the same time pitching it in such a way that opportunity is presented for commercial activity at a substantial level by the necessary interests.
I should like to point out also— again, relative to the off-shore oil issue—that sometimes the Government were being blamed for the fact that oil is not physically coming on-shore in this country at present as it is in Norway or in Scotland in the North Sea venture. In this regard it is important to point out that oil is physically coming on-shore in Scotland and in Norway at present as a result of decisions made by the relevant Governments eight, nine or ten years ago. Therefore, from the point of decision by Government, through all the stages of research and development until ultimately oil flows is a matter of years. The present Government are in no way responsible for that fact.
Having said that, it is time we took an optimistic stance and informed the general public of the enormous possibilities existing. For example, I believe the public should be aware that, in Norway—which is on the Gulf Stream, on the Continental Shelf; which is a small country with a population somewhat equal to ours—the value of off-shore oil and gas to the economy is estimated to run at a level of between 20 per cent and 25 per cent of the gross national product of the country in a couple of years' time. This is the most colossal single input into that economy. In Britain, a country of vast resources at present experiencing serious difficulties, the contribution of North Sea oil holds out enormous possibilities. Where we are concerned—some people who know about oil suggest there is not the scope here that exists in Norway and Scotland. But it is important to put certain matters into perspective. We need to find merely a fraction of the discoveries of Norway and Scotland to have a most dramatic effect on our economy. When we take into account the much smaller gross national product of this country, the situation is such that we would merely require approximately one-fifth of the volume of oil which it is estimated exists off the Norwegian coastline for a similar input here. If this development continues—as seems likely at present—in a couple of years' time we shall see the commencement of possibly a very happy adventure which could be of the most enormous import to this country, will allow the Government to use this resource very sensibly—initially, presumably, to offset the weakness in the balance of payments as a result of the deficit from the fuel crisis but, additionally, to capitalise on it in a different sense —in export industries, directing refined products for export and export industries in the petro-chemical area. Indeed, the prospects are such, that where Britain is concerned, it is estimated that in perhaps five or ten years' time Britain, from the North Sea, would have the capacity to provide western Europe with half of its entire oil needs at 1980 levels.
Therefore, in the midst of all the gloom at present it is necessary to be positive, to look to our opportunities and grasp the significance of this question of off-shore oil. I am particularly happy that this type of activity is happening in the west and south-west of the country because, as it continues to develop, it will be a very useful shot in the arm to proper development of regions within the country. I am not too worried that possibly we have been a little slow in tackling this matter. It is in a different category from any other types of industry, in that it is a wasting resource; there is just so much of it there. It is arguable when one should start and finish. Having regard to the inflation that has occurred, if we can now get this off the ground we are not, in any sense, too late. We have the particular advantage here of having seen the experiences in Scotland, the North Sea, off the Norwegian coastline; having seen many of the mistakes made in regard to designs of rigs, work procedures, and in particular, in regard to safety procedures, because in that respect we have seen, in both of those countries, a considerable loss of life. It would seem to me that there is great opportunity open to us at present for a lesser level of expenditure on research and development because so much more knowledge is available in fairly similar waters. Additionally, on the safety factor, we have a great deal to learn. I hope that this new chapter will be of major benefit to us. Estimates exist in regard to the actual resource. My view—and I think it is the view of many people—is that one simply does not know what is under the ground until one commences drilling. But even if we discover an oil resource at a minimal level—as I said earlier—relative to our gross national product, in itself, that can be very significant and it is possible it may be very much more than we imagine at present.
I welcome the approach of the Government and the Minister, who discussed the setting-up of a National Gas Board. Also, in the oil area, I welcome the fact that a similar type of board is envisaged and will be set up by the Government for over-all supervision of our proposed oil activities in the nation's interest.
While still speaking on the subject of energy, I should like to join Deputy Hussey and Deputy Kitt in speaking about turf and bogs. In terms of energy, it seems to me that turf is still a very substantial resource here, particularly in the part of the country in which I live. But certain anomalies exist at present. We are told that energy is very important, that it must not be wasted. We are told we must use native resources in industry to the greatest extent possible. But the anomalies are that we are not tackling it to the degree we should be doing. I realise that Bord na Móna has a scheme for the development of bogs for fuel purposes. I realise they announced a programme last year of planning an expenditure of over £20 million. In so far as my constituency is concerned, might I say we are not satisfied—the announcement by Bord na Móna applies practically entirely to the Midlands and other parts of the country but apparently they do not have any plans for development, of any significance, for bogs in the west.
There may be good reasons for this from their point of view. Possibly some of them do not lend themselves to the degree of mechanisation possible in the Midlands but there are vast expanses of bogs in counties like Mayo, like Ballycroy and Erris, which are starved of development. You have these energy resources in the bogs and a high level of unemployment and we should be capitalising on these bogs to a greater extent, thereby bringing about a reduction in our balance of payments because of the greater use of native fuel.
There are two specific points. There is a measure of mechanisation available. The Sugar Company in Tuam has developed machines for cutting turf in bogs like these. Unfortunately the number is very limited and they are not available to those who would gladly use them. This should be a top priority if we are serious about getting our bogs cut and creating more employment opportunities. We should get down very rapidly to increasing the numbers of these machines and disseminating more knowledge about such machines among the general public in the areas to which I refer.
Concomitant with this are bog roads. There is not a sufficient level of investment to build these roads or, having built them, to maintain them at a reasonable level. By default, therefore, turf is not being cut in some areas because it is not possible to utilise tractor transport on the roads. If native fuel is a priority then these roads are very important. I know that under the local improvements scheme local authorities may spend part of the fund on such roads. However, pressures are great in other areas. In Mayo there is a very high proportion of roads which come under local improvements schemes. They lead to private dwelling houses and they are obviously of the highest priority. There are applications in the local office for roads and drainage schemes amounting to something like £1,500,000 and the country got only £100,000 for the whole of this year. There is a case for having another look at bogs, at the development of machines for cutting turf and the building up of roads. Funds for these purposes will have to come from an entirely different source if we are to get the growth that seems to be feasible.
I know the ESB are keen on Carnsore Point as the site of the proposed nuclear power station. I am aware that investigations are taking place. I am also aware that there has been substantial objection by the community in that area. I do not know what the present position is or whether the station will be sited in that area, but I should like to mention that there was interest in this power station in the Bangor Erris area. That interest is still there if there is any change of plan with regard to Carnsore Point.
Numerous representations have been made for an extension to Bellacorrick power station in North Mayo. It has been said that this is not feasible because of the amount of bog available. Some local people dispute this view. The matter is worthy of re-examination.
Rural electrification constitutes a special problem in west Mayo. The population is limited and there are vast expanses of land with very few houses. Most areas have been successfully connected but there are a few outlying districts in which electricity has not been provided and in which it is becoming increasingly difficult to provide it because of the economics of the situation, especially having regard to inflation. I discussed the matter with the Minister in relation to Ballycroy. There the people got quotations for connection. There were no fewer than three charges involved and they were all extremely high. Some were at a level of £1,000 per house. The land is poor and incomes are low and the charges quoted are beyond the capacity of the people to pay. Presumably inflation will go on escalating and these people will obviously never have electricity.
The Minister told me that he is at present examining the position and the examination is nearing completion. If electricity is to be provided in these areas it will require very substantial subsidy. That might well be in the national interest. There are very few areas which have not been connected and, if this area continues to be neglected, there will be a festering sore. Electricity is a basic commodity. We are looking to the future and it has to be remembered that young people in this consumer society will not live in these areas unless their living standards equate in some degree with those of the rest of the country. If something is not done the Minister and his successors will have an insuperable problem on their hands. We should take the bit between our teeth and subsidise electricity connection in these areas by means of a crash programme. Socially that would be very good policy. It could lead to further development.
I do not envy the Minister his responsibility for CIE. However, we are all aware of the level of inflation and we are all aware of the losses incurred by CIE over the years. The losses at the moment are really staggering, but there are good reasons for these losses. Public transport is an essential social service. The board of management is a good board. The level of employment is high. Because of inflation losses have escalated and considerable disquiet has been caused. In the private sector if industries, services and shops had to face this type of escalating costs situation survival would not be possible. I do not know what the answer is. I do not envy the Minister. The Opposition will attempt to make capital out of the issue, as they tried to do this morning, but it is political capital in the sense that they do not have any solution to this problem and it is good fun in opposition to attack an area about which there is disquiet.
I believe part of the answer to lessen the level of public disquiet is a different method of parliamentary control of the semi-State bodies. I believe this is basic to the particular issue we are talking about. Over the years we have seen a very high growth in the proportion of activity in the national budget in relation to semi-State bodies. I imagine this has gone to an infinitely greater degree than was envisaged by the Governments of the time such institutions were started. It has reached a stage where there is a very high level of activity in semi-State bodies and we have the present inadequate method of parliamentary access to information for debate so that power in many important areas of this country resides outside the House.
I believe this is a basic and fundamental problem. Where the National Coalition Government are concerned one of the major reforms which they can effect is a speedy implementation of the view articulated by the Minister for the Public Service when he spoke about the issue of semi-State companies, their place in society and their method of responsibility to the people. I believe it is essential to pursue this matter vigorously. Obviously the means by which this work can be done is the creation of sub-committees of the House. We should have them for different areas of responsibility where semi-State bodies are concerned. Such sub-committees would engage in dialogue with the chief executive officers of the semi-State bodies on an annual basis. If we get this type of rapport going between the semi-State bodies and the Dáil such dialogue would show that justice is seen to be done. I know that justice is done at present because there is a high level of efficiency in many semi-State bodies but at the same time the possibility of parliamentarians questioning, engaging in such dialogue and probing in areas where there is public dissatisfaction would be of immense benefit to the parliamentary system. I believe this is a matter which should be pursued vigorously. I believe we should be able to get beneath the surface to a much greater degree than merely reading the annual reports and occasionally questioning particular Ministers or having limited opportunities on Estimate debates. It would be of great benefit to everybody. If the public are disturbed about certain issues there is a forum where such discussions can take place. The fact that such a committee system exists might prove to be a limiting factor in the running of such State bodies. This should be pursued for the reasons I have stated.
Aer Lingus are under the Minister's responsibility. We sometimes see semi-State bodies assuming functions in something for which in many cases they were not originally designed and which do not relate to their terms of reference. In some cases such developments are useful from a commercial point of view but I believe we are beginning to lose parliamentary control if this can run amok and if we see such developments happening without the type of dialogue I am speaking about. Aer Lingus have been extremely successful. They have been able to offset the problems they have had during the year, in common with other airlines in Europe and the world, by a successful programme of investment based on foreign borrowing, to which the Minister referred.
If such a semi-State body are getting involved outside the country, in external borrowing and in ancillary activities, which do not relate to their primary functions, this is something which is part of the business of the House. The House and the people could be very usefully served by the committee system to which the Minister for the Public Service previously referred.
I should like to refer briefly to Bord Fáilte. I would like to compliment them for the report they issued for the year ending March, 1974, and for the factual manner in which they presented it. Unfortunately in some instances there are cases where the gloss is a little bit too bright and we are not getting beneath the surface and questioning sufficiently the flaws in the particular area of responsibility. The report of Bord Fáilte is in a different vein. It looks at the whole issue of the environment, hygiene, standards, the matters of importance which we have to sell and the areas in which there is disquiet. It is an excellent production.
I am somewhat prejudiced in favour of the board because I come from a part of the country where tourism is of vital interest. It is of greater interest than in many other areas of the country. We do not have the farmlands of the south or the industrial development in parts of the east or south. In the midst of the beauty of west Mayo tourism is a very important arm in our economy. I would like to compliment Bord Fáilte for the work they have carried out in liaison with their regional officers and with the local interests and the various tourist associations.
A major project in Westport is the new golf club, which has been supported by Bord Fáilte, and which the Taoiseach is coming to visit next month. This development is a great act of faith in the future. I believe it will be a tremendous boost to a very substantial area around the town of Westport. Whilst costs have been high we got in before the very high level of inflation. Land was bought at a reasonable price and the project in question would probably have cost at least double or even treble what it did cost if it were started now.
While speaking about Westport there are one or two things I would like to have looked at in the context of the town. Bord Fáilte in their report referred to the necessity of giving priority to marketing. They spoke about our environment, scenery and the fact that this is basic to tourism but there is another side to this. There is more to tourism than scenery, lakes, rivers and mountains. I remember at a market research survey in New York a couple of years ago, conducted on behalf of another European country, many Americans were asked why they were coming to that country. They were given a list of 50 different items which contained items in their capital city, matters relating to their poets and authors and scenery, lakes, rivers and mountains. Surprisingly at the bottom of that list was scenic beauty and highest on it were matters which were indigenous, such as possibly West-minster Abbey in London or the Louvre in Paris, and specific matters of entertainment such as, Bunratty, in County Clare. I believe you need to build up your centres, you need to provide entertainment and you need this catalyst to develop tourism at a greater level. Westport is a growing tourist centre which a decade ago started very successfully an international sea-angling festival which attracts people from all over Europe. We have a major golf course which will prove to be one of the best five or six in the whole country. We have an annual horse show which is the largest in Ireland outside Ballsbridge. Westport is a touring centre between Connemara and Achill and is on Clew Bay with its 300 islands. In the bay itself there are enormous possibilities for sailing development and water skiing. I would like to see the board looking at the town a little further with a view to arranging in conjunction with local interests better forms of entertainment. We have seen the Bunratty development in Clare. We have seen similar developments in north Clare and west Galway and we have seen support by the board in Tralee for native entertainment. I would like to see them specifically looking to Westport because it is a town that has all these other features but needs this type of facility to round off what has already been happening there.
I know there is a conventions bureau which is doing very useful work in attracting conventions to this country but I would like Bord Fáilte to take a look at Westport in this regard because the town, on its own initiative, has been attracting a number of annual conferences of Irish organisations. I would like the board to look at this question and to the needs of people who attend the conventions in regard to facilities, audiovisual aids and matters such as that.
The third point I want to mention in relation to the area refers to Clew Bay and its possibilities for sailing. The board have supported a small venture regarding dinghy boats and sail training. I gather that the Glenns, the sailing people who have been in Baltimore in west Cork, are now coming up and have bought part of one of the islands, which is an excellent development. This bay with over 300 islands which provides the most sheltered water between Donegal and west Cork and is of all the points on the west coast, one of the nearest to Dublin, offers tremendous possibilities in the water sports area which should be investigated.
I should like now to refer to the Erris region, Belmullet in particular because interests there have expressed the view that a tourist resort hotel should be built in the vicinity which has been promoted by the local development association. It is in the centre of an enormous area the size of County Louth and, looking at the resources that there are in the region in terms of hotels and comparing it with any other part of the west coast from Donegal to west Cork, it is the least developed. I know that due to the restraints on the kitty at present the brakes have had to be put on, and very reasonably, because we have had over-hotel development in many parts of the country. The emphasis of Bord Fáilte in giving priority to marketing and putting the funds into marketing in the short term is very sensible, but I would make the plea to the Minister and to Bord Fáilte if a sensible project is put forward from the north Mayo region, which is an enormous region, to look at it as an entirely different issue because of the need for home holidays, for the rental of cottages, people coming back from England, the holding of functions which at present are going to towns 50 and 60 miles away. It is in a different category examined by any standards of national priority, and, again, if the project is sensible they should look at it as an exceptional project and judge it on its merits rather than in terms of a blanket national policy.
Having referred to Bord Fáilte's priority for marketing, with which I agree, I should like to compliment the Minister on his activity with the board. Ministers can spend a great deal of time in their own country, attending functions and generating a great deal of publicity which may redound to their personal advantage, but much work is done outside the country which is unsung and about which people know very little and which is a hard grind. I would like to compliment the Minister. He was criticised today for the brevity of the section of his speech dealing with Bord Fáilte, but I would like to compliment him on the personal initiative he has taken in spending a very considerable portion of his time in the last few months travelling outside the country in the interests of Bord Fáil, emphasising the advantages of holidaying in this country. He has done an excellent job in that area. His very presence on this type of work is an effective answer to anybody who suggests that the Minister or the Government are not interested in tourist development.
I am interested to note in Bord Fáilte's report the degree to which the campaign in Britain was successful. In a sense we should have been doing this much earlier. It is a little sad that it was only with the down turn in tourist revenue as a result of the crisis in the North that we began to look to the terrific opportunities there were in encouraging our own people in Britain to come here to a larger degree. Prior to that we tended to take our own people for granted. They swelled the tourist revenue and the tourist statistics but we tended to take them for granted. Possibly it was the crisis that provoked the board to become more active here, but at least it is happening, and I am glad to note the degree to which the board has tackled the English market and the degree to which they have been supported by the regional offices and representatives of tourist groupings in the different towns. This has proved very successful, but it is also important in areas that do not directly relate to tourism. The people in Britain are very much our people. We have a responsibility to them as we do to the people who live in this country. Greater rapport and greater communication is helping and has proved to be very beneficial. I witnessed in London at one or two dinners and functions arranged for Mayo people the in-depth work being carried out by the board, by Aer Lingus, by B & I and other agencies. They are to be complimented on that.
Air travel has been mentioned. If there is to be a substantial increase in tourism in the west it will be of vital importance to get some air links moving in. We are saying this against a background which is not very successful because some ventures which have taken off the ground have not been that successful. At the same time the priority in the west is high because we are probably the most remote from any large airport and the standard of our roads is poor by international standards. Until we reach the stage where we can fly, possibly on a chartered basis, medium to small aircraft, we are missing a large sector of the market. The airport in Castlebar has done useful work but the length of the runway is not sufficient for the type of planes about which I am talking. I would welcome a further review of the situation by the Department of Transport and Power to see what can be done or if it is possible to have a type of development there which can tap the market which at present we are not getting. Unless we can get people in promptly to see the beauties and to engage in the activities we have, there is a large part of the market we are simply not tapping and that, by default, is possibly going to Spain, France or Germany. I know it is a difficult time to talk about expenditure and development, but that does not take away from the fact that in its own right the investment in question can lead to substantial developments taking place.
The services of the Meteorological Office were referred to. As a constant user of the office I would like to compliment them. They have been providing an excellent service and tend to be remarkably accurate. The service they provide for aircraft and for shipping has been most valuable and tends to be under-rated. Deputy Coogan of Galway referred to the constant repetition of the expression "Rain spreading from the west", which annoys many people where I live. I wonder if different phraseology could not be used.
