asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he intends to abolish the special service charges demanded from some applicants for the supply of electricity under the rural electrification scheme.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Rural Electrification: Special Service Charges.
Under statute the fixing of rates and scales of charges for electricity is a matter solely for the E.S.B.
The board have informed me that the abolition of special service charges would involve an annual loss of £563,000, and that, to offset it, the standard fixed charge rates for all rural consumers would require to be increased by 22 per cent.
Is the Minister aware of the statement he made in this House that if ever again he became Minister for Industry and Commerce he would abolish the special service charges?
I am aware that at that time I was trying to ascertain what the cost would be and I assumed that it would be what I described as a bagatelle. I have since ascertained, as I have said, that the cost would be over £500,000 a year and would involve an extortionate increase in the charges on all other rural consumers.
Is it not surprising that a responsible member of the Opposition would make such a statement in the House unless he had particulars of the cost?
I was trying to find it out from the then Government and could not.
All the Fianna Fáil bagatelles grow up and some of them blow up.
They blew into £100,000,000.
Is the figure of £563,000 the annual cost only while construction is in progress?
No, permanently.
It could not be permanent.
Are we to understand from the Minister's reply that what he is really saying is that he is older and wiser?
Better informed.
Not necessarily.
What the Minister means is that he has got the votes on it now and it does not matter.
Does the Taoiseach not think that this will go down in history as one of the biggest pieces of chancing one's arm by the prime chancer of arms in this House?
No. There will be a whole litany of them.
Can the Minister say if the withdrawal of £5,000,000 subsidies by the Coalition in their time would have any effect on the costing?
Not in the slightest.
It is very serious.
Even the Minister for Industry and Commerce the other day admitted that that did not affect the special service charges. We know that the Deputy has been trying to suck up to him. That has been obvious for the last six months particularly in the case of Deputy Brennan.
This is another of the Fianna Fáil broken promises.