asked the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy if he will take immediate steps to ensure coal deliveries to Brittas, Rathcoole, Saggart, Newcastle and all outlying areas of County Dublin not serviced by CDL and if he will make a statement on the decision of Coal Distributors Ltd. to refuse orders from these areas.
Written Answers. - County Dublin Coal Deliveries.
311.
Coal Distributors Ltd. themselves distribute only about 40 per cent of the coal imported into Dublin, the remaining 60 per cent being distributed by independent operators.
I understand from the company that there has been an unprecedented increase in the demand for coal and that they have supplied three times as much coal in the five months up to November as in the same period last year. Because of the inability of the company's transport system to cope with the increased demand caused by large-scale, abnormal buying, they were forced to introduce a number of measures including a decision not to accept for delivery by themselves orders from outlying districts such as Brittas, Rathcoole, Saggart and Newcastle.
The company envisaged that outlying areas not served by them would be supplied by bellmen who obtain their coal from Coal Distributors Ltd. The company have indicated that recent industrial disputes affecting importation and handling of coal at Dublin port have resulted in the company being unable to give the bellmen the full tonnages they required or to accept orders from new bellmen. Consequently, the bellmen were unable to provide consumers in the areas mentioned with as full a service as was desirable.
I am informed by Coal Distributors Ltd. that if there are no further disruptions of their importation programme it would be possible to supply the bellmen including those servicing Brittas, Rathcoole, Saggart and Newcastle areas with their full coal requirements.