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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 8 Apr 1987

Vol. 371 No. 9

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Electricity Prices.

38.

asked the Minister for Energy the proposals, if any, he has to reduce electricity prices to a level closer to the European average.

Two electricity price reductions were implemented during 1986. These were based on favourable fuel prices and exchange rate movements, growth in electricity demand and other savings, and on reasonable assumptions on developments in these areas in 1987. I am, of course, anxious to continue the downward movement of Irish electricity prices, and my Department and the ESB will keep all relevant factors under review, so that any scope for further reduction can be availed of immediately.

Can the Minister say what specific proposal he has in mind to fulfil his party's promise to reduce ESB prices towards the European average and, in particular, what effect he believes the collection of rates from the ESB will have on this objective?

In relation to the collection of rates, the £16 million which the ESB owed to the previous Government and which we succeeded in securing for the taxpayers was already taken into account in the pricing submission made to the previous administration with regard to price policy. Therefore, this £16 million will have no effect whatsoever. It was already taken into account in the sums in calculating the price that is at present in effect for the ESB.

With regard to the question of comparable prices between Ireland and the EC, following the reductions over the last 15 months the average EC price for industrial consumers across the range of consumer size and power usage levels range from 89 per cent to 98 per cent of the Irish price.

Is it in order that the Minister should be in a position to furnish this material to Deputy Bruton by way of answer to a supplementary question when I was told by the Ceann Comhairle that the Minister had advised him that such figures were not his responsibility, that he would not furnish them because they were the responsibility of the Electricity Supply Board? In those circumstances is it in order for the Minister to embarrass the Chair, by putting as his first line of defence, that this was not his responsibility when it was within his capacity to give this information to me. On ordinary grounds of good manners and courtesy, not alone from the point of view of embarrassing the Chair——

The Deputy is not in order. I want to assure him that the Chair is not aware of any embarrassment to which he refers. The manner in which questions are put and answered is not to be adjudicated on by the Chair. The Minister gives information to the House as he regards fit and suitable. The Chair does not control that.

I appreciate that but on this occasion the Chair wrote to me and said that my question was out of order. This was because, presumably, the Minister had informed the Chair that this was outside his scope of responsibility. He clearly misled the Chair. I submit that it is not in order for him to answer one question and to ask the Chair to disallow another question based on the same information which he has.

The Chair has not been advised of the situation as articulated by the Deputy. I have to advise him that his intervention, as allowed by me, has been out of order and that there is no useful comment the Chair can make on it.

There seems to be some misunderstanding about this but I want to assure you a Leas-Cheann Comhairle that no insult was meant to the Chair. You should not be dragged into such an issue. I am quite willing to meet the Deputy to discuss the matter with him. No discourtesy was intended. It would be my practice to answer in as much detail as possible any questions put to me in this House.

I am obliged to the Minister.

In the course of the measures the Minister is taking to reduce energy prices can he say whether he agrees with the recommendation in the Jakobsen report that there should be independent scrutinty of ESB tarriffs which at present are somewhat of a mystery to outsiders with the result that it is impossible to know whether their structure is rational?

A review is due to be undertaken around June this year and I will be taking all relevant factors into consideration when that is completed.

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