asked the Minister for Transport and Power if he will consider giving a subsidy towards installing electricity supplies in houses in rural areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
2.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Rural Electrification.
1.
asked the Minister for Transport and Power if he intends to initiate legislation to subsidise installation of electricity in rural areas, with particular reference to the Woodford area, County Galway where exorbitant amounts (details supplied) are demanded by the ESB.
3.
asked the Minister for Transport and Power if he will further subsidise the rural electrification programme in order to abolish the present exorbitant sums which are being demanded for electricity connections to new houses; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
4.
asked the Minister for Transport and Power if the ESB has made any recent report to him on rural electrification covering (a) reduction in excessive charges to those who have already paid for installation (b) further consideration of those applicants who have not yet accepted installation because of high charges and (c) the installation of electricity in newly built houses.
5.
asked the Minister for Transport and Power if he will consider introducing a grant scheme to assist electricity supply applicants who were late or otherwise unable to avail of the board's subsidised scheme.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 together.
The provision of electricity for those householders who, because of the capital contributions involved, were unable to accept connection during the final phase of the rural electrification scheme has been under review in my Department in consultation with the ESB. This review has now been completed and I will shortly be making proposals in the matter which will involve new legislation.
The form and content of the proposed legislation will, of course, be a matter for the Government but I may say at this stage that the proposals do not envisage a rebate of capital contributions already paid by householders towards cost of connection.
Am I correct in taking it from the Minister's reply that he will introduce legislation? Questions Nos. 1 and 2 are in my name and I have given details and names regarding the cost with Question No. 2. Recently I met a man who got grants from the county council and the Department and the full amount of £920 was being charged for an electricity supply. Am I to take it that the Minister proposes legislation that will give a subsidy to the ESB and thus help people to instal electricity in their new houses?
The Deputy may take it that I shall be introducing legislation to cater for those people in closed areas who, because of the high capital cost, were unable to accept connection before the areas were closed.
Will the Minister tell the House if we will have to wait long before this legislation is introduced?
I hope it will be in this session or certainly early in the next session.
Did the Minister say it will not be retrospective?
It will be retrospective in the sense that it will cater for people in closed areas who, because of the high connection cost, were unable to accept a supply before the areas were closed. However, it will not cater for people in new houses in other areas——
In areas where the people elected to pay the high capital cost, will the Minister be able to do anything for them?
I do not think so, not where the connection has been made already. We will have to draw the line somewhere; otherwise we could go back to 1927 when the subsidy regarding rural electrification started.
That may be so but what about the case where a person is charged £1,600?
I do not think we can do anything retrospectively.
On a recent radio programme I heard the Minister say that in Ireland the rural electrification scheme has now only two portions of the country for development —one part in County Mayo and the Minister mentioned an area in Galway in the Woodford district. This area is at the side of the Slieve Aughty mountain range.
Will the Deputy please ask a question?
On the other side of the Slieve Aughty range there is Slieve on Óir in County Clare and the ESB say this area will be developed from Limerick. Is the Minister aware that people living in this mountain area have been asked for £1,800 and one man was asked for £4,000? Slieve an Óir means the mountain of gold——
The Deputy is imparting information. He is not asking a question.
Even though it means the mountain of gold, I do not think it should be taken literally.
This is all very informative but I would remind the Deputy that this is Question Time.
The man concerned should not be asked to pay £4,000 for electrical installation.
I would have to have notice about specific areas. Generally the category of people I have mentioned would include people in Woodford, in Ballyfoyle in Mayo and the Black Valley in Kerry.
Woodford borders Slieve an Óir. I am talking about the Slieve Aughty range of mountains between Clare and Galway. The ESB will supply from Limerick to the Clare area. I would not take too literally that Slieve an Óir is the mountain of gold. The people concerned certainly cannot pay £4,000 for installing electricity.
I am somewhat disappointed at the Minister's reply. I took it for granted that anyone who applied for rural electrification from now on and who was charged a prohibitive amount would get a subsidy, irrespective of whether he was in the area when the subsidy was originally paid. From what the Minister said it appears that only those people who were unable to take supply when the subsidy was available will be catered for. Am I correct in that?
That is correct. They will be covered by the legislation.
Will the Minister not accept that that is unfair? There are many people throughout the country who were not in the areas in question when the scheme was subsidised. These people should be included in the legislation also. It is discrimination not to include all houses that are charged an excessive rate. I am not asking for retrospection but if the Minister is introducing legislation he should cater for everyone who has to pay an excessive amount.
I presume the Deputy is talking about new houses in closed areas. I know some of the charges appear very high but there is an element of discretion about sites. The ESB are considering their total connection scheme for all parts of the country and when they come up with their findings I will look at the situation again. The current legislation envisaged by me is for people in closed areas.
The Minister seems to be anticipating legislation on a limited scale. Will he keep in mind houses built for old people that the ESB are not anxious to connect? Very often they charge prohibitive rates for connection of what are known as demountable houses or old people's homes, built by local authorities. Would the Minister look at these as a special category? In many cases they are completely deprived of current because they cannot afford the £600 or £700 which is being asked from people who could not have a house if the county councils had not built them for them?
If the Deputy will give me particulars I will inquire into this. At the moment I do not know about it.
I would again ask the Minister to consider seriously any rural house where the charge is excessive whether it was——
The Deputy has already raised that matter. Question No. 6, please.
6.
asked the Minister for Transport and Power if he will arrange to have the terms of electricity supply to a person (name supplied) in County Offaly reduced, as the amount requested is prohibitive.
I am informed by the ESB that the person in question did not accept supply at the subsidised terms offered by the board in 1973 when the rural area in which his premises are situated was being developed under the final phase of the rural electrification scheme. In March, 1975, unsubsidised terms, which included the payment of a capital contribution, were quoted to him but no reply was received by the board to the quotation.
The capital contribution is based on the present cost of making supply available which necessitates the erection of 900 metres of high tension line, a 5 KVA transformer, together with a service, meter and other works.
If supply is now required an up-to-date quotation, which will involve the payment of a capital contribution, will be issued by the board.
Would the Minister not say that this is a case where the person concerned, as he said in reply to the other question, could not afford to take the supply? Will his legislation cover this type of person?
No.
Why not?
Because the legislation will cover people who could not afford to pay the capital cost at the time. In this case, I understand, in the terms quoted in March, 1972, no capital contribution was required.
The fixed charge fixed at that time was arising from a capital consideration. It was what was being put in that time as a long-term capital charge.
That would still apply. All I am concerned with is to cater for the people who are asked for lump sums which they could not meet at that time. This man was not asked for a lump sum.
Does that mean that the Minister is bluffing in these other cases?
I am not. I think the scheme where we have told people about it has been very widely welcomed.
It has, but we have not seen it yet.