asked the Minister for Energy if he will give details of the audit carried out by Bord Gáis Éireann in Waterford in 1988.
51.
Written Answers. - Bord Gáis Éireann Waterford Operations.
34.
asked the Minister for Energy if he will give details of the £819,000 spent by Bord Gáis Éireann on the cessation of gas manufacture in Waterford in 1988.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 34 and 51 together.
I am taking it that when the Deputy refers to the "audit carried out by Bord Gáis Éireann in Waterford in 1988" he refers to the audit mentioned in the Annual Report of Bord Gáis Éireann for 1988 which was a safety audit undertaken by Bord Gáis Éireann with the help of consultants and technical officials from my Department. At that time Wateford Gas Company manufactured gas from naphtha. In brief, in respect of Waterford, the audit team found many features of the Waterford gas utility in an unsatisfactory condition.
The closure of the Waterford gas grid which commenced in late 1988 was completed in March 1989. Although there was no immediate risk to consumers Bord Gáis Éireann would not have allowed the operation to continue indefinitely without very substantial and costly adjustments.
Of the £819,000 expended by Bord Gáis Éireann in 1988 on the cessation of gas manufacture in Waterford, £462,836 was spent on the change-over of customers to bottled gas or electricity, £301,131 on severance payments for employees and £55,500 on decommissioning the town gas system and clearing the site.