Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Deputy Wall undoubtedly lights up this Chamber when he speaks. I had not realised he was an electrician. While this lies partially outside the Minister's brief, the ESB recently announced that it intended to take on apprenticeships nationwide in a highly worthwhile initiative. Although the ESB will reduce its prices soon, as is appropriate, it has made a substantial profit in recent years because the regulator lacked the power to allow it to reduce prices heretofore. Consequently, the Minister or his officials should talk to the ESB to ascertain whether it now could do something for rural Ireland, where in some cases it failed to provide the requisite services. It should be asked to put together some kind of fund, in conjunction with the Department, to try to help to keep this scheme alive. As Deputy Wall noted, it is important for rural Ireland. People in the cities will not understand that one cannot operate unless one has a proper power supply. While the ESB has been given this job, in some cases it does not do it. The Minister might talk to its chief executive to ascertain whether it would provide some funding to the Department to try to introduce a scheme, which now is needed more than ever as jobs are needed in rural areas in particular.

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