asked the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy the contribution he has made to energy conservation during Energy Conservation Month by way of new policies or measures.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Energy Conservation.
1.
The objectives which the International Energy Agency had in designating October of this year as Energy Conservation Month were not primarily related to the introduction of new policies or measures during that month. As far as this country is concerned major energy conservation policies or measures had already been introduced or announced. These included measures relating to insulation of buildings, diversification of heating fuels, efficiency of industrial and commercial boilers and equipment and a broad programme of economies in the public service. The principal objectives for Energy Conservation Month were to stimulate public awareness of the need for energy conservation, to highlight the extent to which industrial nations are co-operating in the conservation of energy and to plan events or introduce programmes emphasising conservation.
My Department arranged for a publicity campaign in the press, radio and television aimed at the saving of energy in the home. Copies of a booklet entitled "Energy Management for the Householder" prepared for my Department by the Institute for Industrial Research and Standards are available to householders through hardware stores and ESB showrooms. My Department organised a conference on energy conservation in the dairy industry which had an international panel of speakers. The National Board of Science and Technology, in co-operation with the EEC, have held a seminar on energy systems analysis, which highlighted work currently in hands on an international co-operative basis which can make an important contribution to policy decisions in the energy field.
In pursuance of the leading role in energy conservation which I assigned to them some months ago, the Institute for industrial Research and Standards have commenced a major new programme including an extended programme for boiler testing on a national basis, the building energy advisory service and the public building energy management service.
Apart from these matters in which my Department have taken the initiative or have been actively concerned, they have acted as a clearing house, and issued press announcements, on a large programme of events planned by various bodies. Earlier this year 400 circular letters were sent to organisations catering for commercial, industrial, educational, residents/tenants associations and other interests throughout the country bringing to their notice the objects of Energy Conservation Month and exhorting them to undertake events with the emphasis on the objectives set out by the IEA. My Department were advised of more than 40 events which have been organised by various groups throughout the country and have assisted in the provision of speakers and other arrangements. As examples of the varying nature of the functions which have been organised, there was a two-day course for architects at UCD, a month-long exhibition on energy conservation by the ESB at their Fleet Street, Dublin showrooms, a series of seminars organised by Bord Fáilte for the hotel and catering industry, country committees of agriculture organised appropriate events and various chambers of commerce organised exhibitions or seminars.
I myself, and Ministers and other Ministers of State, have to the extent possible, opened or attended functions organised as part of these programmes and have spoken on the general subject of energy conservation or on particular aspects of it.
I have three or four questions to put to the Minister. Before I ask them could I ask a more general question? Has the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy got some kind of superstition about appearing in the House to answer questions or why is he not here for the second day running to answer his questions?
Deputy Kelly goes on with this every time questions arise on the odd occasion when the Minister is not present. The Minister had a prior engagement made a number of months ago at which time he could not have been expected to know that questions were down to him today. Parliamentary questions have been asked and I am giving the answers to them. If the Deputy wants to ask any supplementaries I will be delighted to answer them and he will get the same answers as if the Minister was here.
The Minister was not here last week either.
He had an engagement.
Will the Minister of State tell me if the engagement of his Minister is in the country or not?
The Deputy knows that this is not relevant at Question Time.
Has the Minister not got two Ministers of State to do those little jobs for him so that he can attend here?
The attendance or non-attendance of a Minister is not relevant.
The Deputy engages in this ritualistic dance every time the Minister is not present.
Because almost nobody else is answering questions those days except junior Ministers. The Government are taking shelter, with every justification.
The Deputy is wasting a lot of time with irrelevancies.
I remember the Taoiseach wasting five minutes on a circus merely to make time for the Minister for Education to come in and answer his question. If I was Deputy Blaney I would not be gonged.
The Deputy continues to ignore the Chair and go his own way. The Chair cannot permit that to continue.
I am taking a leaf out of Deputy Blaney's book.
The Deputy with his innuendos about how other Deputies are treated is not in order. They are a reflection on the Chair and the Chair will not put up with them.
Let me ask this in regard to this particular question. Could the Minister put a figure on the extra expenditure in which his Department were involved in regard to advertising or any other conservation measure or stimulation in the month of October?
I could not put a figure on it but I have already outlined a very extensive list of items and activities of the Department during the month. If the Deputy wishes I can submit to him a full list of the events which took place during the month. It would be totally impossible to put a figure on it because of the involvement of ministerial time and various organisations such as the IIRS and the ESB.
Have the Minister's Department, without putting a figure on it, spent any appreciably increased sum of money on advertising in regard to energy conservation in the month of October or did they plan in the month of October any further increased spending on advertising?
If the Deputy wants to put down a specific question about the expenditure on conservation he is very welcome to do so and I would be delighted to get the answer for him.
Did I not understand the Minister to say a few moments ago that one of the purposes of this month—we are all getting tired of those sham months and years which produce nothing except a lot of ministerial waffle—was to stimulate public awareness about the importance of conservation? What has he done in regard to advertising the programmes which Deputy Peter Barry started and which the Government phased out to the point of £70 in one year? What has the Minister done in this energy conservation month in regard to enhancing advertising on this topic?
They have stopped the clocks in Leinster House.
I have given the Deputy examples of the type of activities the Department and the Government were involved in. The objectives as set down by the IEA were to provide an international focus for national efforts in energy conservations, to underline the extent to which states are co-operating to conserve energy and to give states the opportunities to plan energy conservation events for the month. In all of these three the Government were more than successful. Any fair minded person would accept that the amount of publicity that went out in the month of October, the Energy Conservation Month, was far and above anything else.
I am not going to get a straight answer. Is the Minister aware that this morning one of the most distinguished and respected members of the non-political establishment of the country, Mr. St. John Devlin, said—please allow me to quote just three lines—that we use as much, waste as much——
Quotations are not in order at Question Time.
He said that we use as much, waste as much——
Is Deputy Kelly going to insist on defying the Chair? I will have to ask him to leave the House if he does.
You threaten me with that regularly but there are other Deputies you do not threaten. There are some Deputies who do not feel a threat like that. I feel it and I believe that is why I get it from you.
The Deputy knows how to avoid threats of that kind.
I know but as you know that is an empty piece of advice.
The Deputy is prone to get into controversy with the Chair on most occasions. He now accuses the Chair of making empty threats. The Chair can easily remedy that.
2.
asked the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy in relation to his reply to a question on 12 July 1979, the number of civil and public service Departments in which he is satisfied that there is now continuous supervision to ensure (a) that space heating does not exceed 18ºC; (b) active conservation of electricity; (c) more scrupulous servicing of boilers than was formerly the case; (d) more regular maintenance and tuning of vehicles; (e) a change from larger to smaller vehicles; and if he will give examples of this activity to fortify his reply.
All Departments have been asked by the Office of Public Works to designate conservation officers for each building which they occupy. Their function is to ensure that appropriate conservation measures are carried out and maintained including ensuring that temperatures are kept down to 18ºC, wherever practicable. In addition, it will be the job of the conservation officer to inspect thermostats, see that they are not altered and to oversee the reduced use of electricity. I would add for the Deputy's information also that during the heating off-season, all plant was given a special overhaul by OPW personnel so that it would operate at maximum efficiency at the start of the heating season. The Office of Public Works have stepped up their already high standard of maintenance and servicing of all heating plant and boilers and will continue with this improved servicing.
The OPW carry out frequent and detailed maintenance and service of all their vehicles and they take their vehicles out of operation at intervals for complete overhaul. Other Departments have undertaken to take similar action and to substitute the use of public transport for private transport wherever feasible.
Local authorities have been requested by the Department of the Environment to review their energy conservation activities and to advise that Department of the outcome. State-sponsored bodies have re-assessed their needs for energy with a view to reducing their consumption and they are all aware of the necessity to maximise the efficiency of their energy utilisation.
While it may not have been the easiest of questions, I asked the Minister to give examples of the Department's activity that would fortify his reply but all I have been given is a load of generalities.
All waffle.
Can the Minister give a single concrete instance of, for example, a positive directive in any Department to the effect that boiler servicing is to take place on a regular but more frequent basis than before? Is there one Department with standing instructions to that effect?
Yes, all Departments. In April the Minister wrote to all Government Departments seeking their co-operation and the co-operation also of all State bodies under the aegis of the various Departments in reviving and strengthening conservation programmes and listing some obvious conservation measures such as limiting space heating, boiler servicing, proper maintenance and tuning of vehicles, switching off unnecessary lights, switching to smaller vehicles, planning services and seeking advice from advisory services on ways of saving energy in specific areas. Called for also was stricter enforcement of speed limits and parking regulations while the importance of fuel economy on farms was stressed too. That directive was sent to all Ministers with the request that copies be sent to the various semi-State bodies under their control. The Departments have acted on the directive.
After all that talk I am still waiting for a concrete example of a stepped-up servicing schedule for boilers or for the tuning of vehicles. Is there a single Department that the Minister can instance that have given a written instruction to their maintenance officer regarding the more frequent tuning of vehicles?
This is argument.
Obviously Deputy Kelly likes the sound of his own voice but is not keen on listening to anybody else.
Has there been any followup to the directive referred to by the Minister?
The directive has been followed up, not in one Department as Deputy Kelly would seem to suggest should be the way of dealing with the matter, but by every Department.
Is there a single Department that have switched from large to small vehicles in response to the directive of 12 July, one Department that have such a standing policy now?
As I have told the Deputy, the OPW have been considering the size of their vehicles and have informed us that the vehicles they have are the smallest they can use effectively.
Therefore, they are not in a position to do anything about the directive.