asked the Minister for Finance if he will state, in respect of each of the last three years, the amount of imported fuel used for heating (a) Leinster House, (b) Government Buildings, (c) the Office of Public Works, (d) the Department of External Affairs, (e) the Department of Education, (f) the Department of Lands, (g) Dublin Castle, (h) the Custom House, (i) Árus an Uachtaráin, and (j) the various Social Welfare offices.

The reply is in the form of a tabular statement which, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, it is proposed to circulate with the Official Report.

Following is the statement:—

STATEMENT SHOWING THE QUANTITIES IN TONS OF IMPORTED AND NATIVE FUELS ISSUED TO THE ESTABLISHMENTS NAMED DURING THE THREE YEARS 1952-53, 1953-54 AND 1954-55.

NOTE.—The above figures do not represent actual consumption in the years indicated, as varying balances of stocks are carried over from year to year.

asked the Minister for Finance whether he is aware that, if native fuel is used, a saving of 20 per cent. can be made in expenditure on the heating of Government offices and buildings, and, if so, what action he proposes to take in the matter.

It is the general policy to use native fuels to the greatest possible extent for purposes of heating in Government offices and buildings and quantitatively the amount of native fuels used is very much greater than the amounts of imported fuel. By reference to current prices the use of native fuels does not result in any saving in cost. Experiments have already been carried out with varying degrees of success on devices designed to facilitate the use of turf in central heating plants. A claim that anthracite (waste) could be utilised in suitable cases with a resultant saving in cost is at present being investigated.