asked the Minister for Transport and Power if he has any plans for the provision of power for the inhabitants of Clare Island, County Mayo.
25.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Mayo Power Requirements.
24.
asked the Minister for Transport and Power when it is proposed to provide power for the inhabitants of Innisturk, County Mayo.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 24 and 25 together.
I am informed by the Electricity Supply Board that the extension of electricity supply to Innisturk and to Clare Island would be so costly that it would involve completely prohibitive special service charges and it is, therefore not a practical proposition. There are no funds available to me from which the cost of extension of supply or provision of local generators could be met.
Is the Minister aware that a satisfactory service has been provided on one of the Aran Islands—Inishere? Would he agree that other islanders around the coast are entitled to the same service?
That service was provided on a Gaeltacht island with the help of a grant from Roinn na Gaeltachta. I have no funds from which I could make such a grant. There is no subhead under my Department from which such a grant could be made.
In view of the fact that the rural electrification scheme is almost at an end, would the Minister not agree that areas such as Clare Island and Innisturk should be considered for a service, irrespective of the cost?
As the Deputy says, the rural electrification scheme ends this month. That does not mean that the work will not be continued in the areas in which they contracted to do the work. I sympathise with the Deputy's point of view. There are pockets in various parts of the country where it would be extremely expensive to put in electricity. These areas comprise 2 per cent of rural houses which will not be connected when the rural electrification scheme comes to end. I am having that position examined at the moment to see if there is something we can do about it.
Would the Minister introduce legislation to give himself the power to provide electricity through generators on the islands which are not in the Gaeltacht?
Not at the moment. I am examining the position about the remaining houses which will not be connected when the rural electrification scheme ends. I will then consider if legislation is necessary.
I understand the Minister has been examining that aspect for the past 12 months because that is the answer he has been giving here. Surely the Minister must agree that if the Department of the Gaeltacht and the Government at the time thought it appropriate that electricity should be provided on certain islands, which happened to be Gaeltacht islands, the natural extension should be to ensure an equal standard of living to residents of all islands. There are not that many of them. Surely the Government——
A brief question, please Deputy.
Would the Minister ask his colleagues to make this concession to those islands which are not in the Gaeltacht areas and provide electricity through the use of generators? Could I also point out——
The Deputy may not point out.
Is the Minister aware——
I must call the next question.
Is the Minister aware that in regard to an island roughly half a mile from the coast the ESB are seeking £2,000 per house?
I am calling Deputy Haughey for a final supplementary question.
The grant given for electricity is not yet under a specific subhead. It comes out of a general subhead in the Estimate for Roinn na Gaeltachta. There is no specific subhead providing money for electricity.
The Minister is in Government and he can make the decisions. We will support the decisions.
In view of the various developments in the world of energy, would the Minister not regard it as one of his functions to encourage some agency under his control to investigate the possibility of providing electricity on these offshore islands through the use of either wind or sea?
I am sure the Deputy knows it will be many years before the islanders would get their electricity either from the wind or the sea. I would have to see if we could provide generators at a reasonable cost and I do not want to commit myself in that regard at this stage.
Could the Minister give the House an assurance that in this energy crisis situation some agencies under his control are actually investigating all these possible methods? There are parts of the world where the provision of electricity by wind is being actively investigated. Could the Minister give us an indication that some such thinking is permeating the inner recesses of his Department and the agencies under his control?
I could. The electricity provided for electric light would not be suitable for television and the islanders want television just as much as they want electricity.
That is not so.
It is so.
Jump into the last quarter of the 20th century now.
It is the Deputy who would want to do that.
May I ask the Minister——
I am sorry but the Deputy will appreciate that the Chair has allowed a great deal of latitude on this question.
The Minister has taken two questions together. Is the Minister aware that University College, Dublin, has a group actively engaged on the question of providing power from the wind?
That is a separate matter. I am calling the next question.
I know that is going on but the information Deputy Haughey is seeking is completely out of date. The Deputy is just not with it. This has been in the papers for the last two months in a condensed form and that is one of the points made.
Would the Minister repeat that statement?
I said in the last two months it was on the paper that one of the snags about wind generated electricity was the fact that it was not suitable for things like television.
Is the Minister seriously telling us that he takes his information on matters like this from something he reads in the papers?
I am not. The Deputy is not listening. This was on the papers in an abbreviated form and the Deputy should have read it. He obviously did not.
26.
asked the Minister for Transport and Power the up-to-date position regarding the provision of rural electrification in County Mayo.
I am informed by the ESB that development work under the final phase of the ESB subsidised rural electrification scheme has been completed in the majority of the rural areas in County Mayo. The areas in which work is in progress at present are Achill, Mulranny, Mayfield, Mayo Abbey, Ballyglass, Cross, Knock and Hollymount rural areas. It is expected that development work in the remaining areas will commence in 1975.
27.
asked the Minister for Transport and Power if the ESB have any plans for the extension of Bellacorick power station, County Mayo.
I am informed by the Electricity Supply Board that they have no plans for the extension of Bellacorick power station.
Would the Minister agree there would seem to be plenty of room for extending this particular station? In view of the unemployment in the area would he consider asking the ESB to have another look at it?
They have looked at it again and they say it would not be practicable to extend the station. What they have done is taken other bogs into commission. It would not be practicable to build a second unit on the existing power station site.