Vol. 270 No. 5
asked the Minister for Transport and Power if he is aware that three persons in County Galway (details supplied) have each been quoted a capital charge of £264 plus a two-monthly special service charge of £8.62 for the installation of electricity; if so, if he agrees that these charges are very high; and if he will state the action he proposes to take to reduce the charges for these rural dwellers in the west of Ireland.
244.
asked the Minister for Transport and Power if he is aware that a hostel in County Galway (details supplied) has been quoted a capital charge of £264 plus a two-monthly special charge of £8.62 for the installation of electricity; if so, if he agrees that these charges are very high; and if he will state the action he proposes to take to reduce the charges for this hostel in the west of Ireland.
245.
asked the Minister for Transport and Power if he is aware that a person in County Galway (details supplied) has been quoted a capital charge of £920.69 plus a two-monthly special service charge of £2.96 for the installation of electricity; if so, if he agrees that these charges are very high; and if he will state the action he proposes to take to reduce the charges for this rural dweller in the west of Ireland.
246.
asked the Minister for Transport and Power if he is aware that a person in County Galway (details supplied) has been quoted a capital charge of £856.65 plus a two-monthly service charge of £3.16 for the installation of electricity; if so, if he agrees that these charges are very high; and if he will state the action he proposes to take to reduce the charges for this rural dweller in the west of Ireland.
247.
asked the Minister for Transport and Power if he is aware that two persons in County Galway (details supplied) have each been quoted a capital charge of £106.75 plus a two-monthly service charge of £5.05 for the installation of electricity; if so, if he agrees that these charges are very high; and if he will state the action he proposes to take to reduce the charges for these rural dwellers in the west of Ireland.
248.
asked the Minister for Transport and Power if he is aware that a person in County Galway (details supplied) has been quoted a capital charge of £160.12 plus a two-monthly special service charge of £4.63 for the installation of electricity; if so, if he agrees that these charges are very high; and if he will state the action he proposes to take to reduce the charges for this rural dweller in the west of Ireland.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle I propose to take Questions Nos. 243 to 248 together.
All of the nine applicants' premises are in the Letterfrack rural area where terms for supply under the final phase of the rural electrification scheme have recently been quoted to interested parties.
In addition to fixed and special service charges, capital contributions are required from eight of these applicants because the cost of providing them with electricity is very high. Their houses are a long distance from the board's networks and as a result, a considerable investment in materials, labour, and so on, will be necessary to connect them to the system.
No capital contribution will be required for supply to An Óige Hostel. However, the special service charge exceeds 300 per cent of the fixed charge and the normal practice in such cases is to require a revenue deposit equal to the annual fixed and special service charges. This amounts to £65.58 for the hostel. The deposit will be refundable after one year.
Despite the high charges required in these cases the persons concerned are being offered supply at charges much below what would be appropriate to the capital costs incurred by the ESB. In the circumstances, I have no plans for changing the existing arrangements for determining such charges.
