Five minutes is a short time for a complex issue but I thank the Minister for being here and for the gracious way she met a deputation from Cork East recently led by me and her party colleague, Deputy Michael Ahern.
I am not lightly asking for a change in the law with regard to the Electricity Supply Board. It is a company with a proud record which in the past was innovative, but now, especially in Cork east, it is out of control. If the only answer to our difficulties is a change in the law, the Minister might consider it.
She promised to meet the ESB to put to it the concerns of our deputation. The ESB has plans to put a large cable network around Cork harbour but locals want the network to go under it.
The company put forward a number of reasons it cannot do that. It says submarine cables would impose considerable restrictions on the movement of ships in Cork harbour during and after construction. That is not true and Cork Harbour Commissioners have said so. It is not true that there will be considerable marine and environmental impact during the large scale trenching operations because a four lane super highway is being built under the River Lee. The ESB says that submarine cables take between two and four months to repair if they break down. However, in Ireland and abroad submarine cables of far greater power than those proposed by the company are in situ and work very well. The ESB says it will also require considerable overhead networks, land based cables and termination stations. It considers this to be a negative aspect but it proposes even more overhead networks.
The ESB refers to cost and this is where the Minister can act if she has the will. It says it will add £20 million overall. I have received information that this is not true and that the cost of going underneath the harbour would be far less. This morning, I received a communication from a continental company which quoted a figure of less than £3 million. The ESB has not placed any breakdown of costs before us and has made only one assessment. The people of Cork East are not being heard by a semi-State company and that is serious. The Minister has the good intentions of all people at heart. A meeting held in Cobh last night was attended by over 1,000 people who were very irate, annoyed and upset.
An Bord Pleanála did not grant an oral hearing in this case which is a major project. Is the ESB in cahoots with An Bord Pleanála? As I pointed out, the ESB has lied on a number of occasions and has kept the truth from the people on more than one occasion. I welcome Deputy Ahern into the House. He was at last night's meeting and also spoke in support of what I have said.
