asked the Minister for Transport and Power when it is proposed to have ESB power provided for Inisbiggle Island, County Mayo.

I am informed by the ESB that the preliminary work on the extension of supply to applicants on Inisbiggle Island has commenced. The area has been surveyed and the route has been selected. It is expected that the actual work of erecting the network will commence in about six weeks' time.

15.

asked the Minister for Transport and Power if the ESB have any plans for the provision of generators to supply electricity to Inisturk and Clare Island, County Mayo.

I am informed by the Electricity Supply Board that the provision of electricity supply to Inisturk and to Clare Island would be so costly that it would involve completely prohibitive charges for the islanders and is therefore not a practical proposition.

There are no plans for provision of generators on the island to supply electricity to the householders there.

Is the Minister aware that the islands mentioned are not Gaeltacht islands and do not benefit from any special grants. In view of the fact that we have now reached the stage where we have only 2 per cent of the country to supply with rural electrification would the Minister not agree that it is time that we had some plans to try to provide this service for the islanders in question?

I appreciate what the Deputy has said and it is true that legislation will be introduced this session to supply electricity to the 2 per cent who are not supplied, except the islands. As I said the cost of supplying electricity to generators on the islands would involve them in very prohibitive charges which I believe there would be resistance on their part to pay. It is for that reason that it is not a practical proposition.

Would the Minister not agree that the people on Inishere and Aran are in a position to make the repayments and that Clare Island and Inisturk would also be in a position to do likewise.

The position is, as the Deputy will appreciate, that these are Gaeltacht islands and there was a subsidy provided for the erection of the generators. The ESB merely undertook the technical end and were paid for doing that by Roinn na Gaeltachta.

Is the Minister aware that the islands in question are becoming involved in tourism and that in order to provide facilities for tourists it is necessary to have electricity? Would he not agree that the Department or the ESB should investigate the possibility of supplying the islands with power in the near future?

The ESB have investigated this possibility and have said that the cost involved would be prohibitive in so far as the islanders are concerned, costs which they would not be willing to pay.

Some time ago on the occasion of a question to the Minister in this regard there was mention of the use of wind for the purpose of generating power. Can he say whether any advance has been made in this area?

While it is possible to generate electricity from wind, the operation is costly and does not guarantee a continuous supply except in conditions where it would be possible to store in batteries, which are very expensive. In such cases electricity could be stored only for two or three days. This method could be used to provide electricity in areas which are exposed and where there is high ground, for instance, but it would be very expensive. I presume that the facilities which the Deputy refers to would include television but so far wind-generated electricity does not provide the steady rate of current required for the operation of television sets.

A final supplementary—can the Minister tell us anything in relation to studies carried out by the ESB in relation to the possibility of wind and solar energies for those islands?

These studies were not carried out specifically with those islands in mind. The ESB in conjunction with my Department and the EEC are engaged in studies on wind, solar, wave and tidal energies. The technology for such development is available but at a very high cost and these studies now are aimed at the possibility of generating electricity in this way at a much lower cost so that it would be in competition with power generated by means of oil or natural gases or, as is the case with 25 per cent of the power generated here, by means of peat. This other operation would have to be capable of being carried out at a cost comparative with the methods being used now.

I have information to the effect that a study of this nature was carried out by the ESB on one of the Aran islands.

I am not aware of any such study. Was it undertaken in recent times?

I might be regarded as an unofficial expert in this whole area.

Can the Deputy recall the time when this whole matter was considered a white elephant?

Not particularly.

Order. May we have some relevancy, please?

Is the Deputy's remark meant to be constructive? Might I suggest to the Minister that the ultimate answer to the question of the provision of electricity on these islands is to use wind for the purpose of pumping up sea water which, in turn, drags turbines for the production of electricity?

That is possible but the cost would be prohibitive in terms of the population of these islands.

I shall set an example.

The Deputy was in Government for a long time without making any efforts in this regard.

We are having maiden speech, No. 2, for today.

Order.

The Deputy ought to be careful lest he should draw my fire on him. I have a long memory.

Let not the Deputy draw my fire on him.

The Deputy says that he is something of an expert in these matters but since the emergency crisis the world has become full of experts on energy matters. However, as fast as these people put forward their ideas, they are shot down by the real experts but I am willing to learn from any expert, be he in this House, in any part of the country or in any part of the world, if he has anything to offer towards helping this country in relation to energy resources.

I have given the Minister the idea.