Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to bring to the attention of the House something that I have discovered lately. If equipment is damaged, such as fridges and washing machines, due to a power surge generated by the ESB, Electric Ireland, or whatever it is called now, the company will not pay compensation and will only issue a letter to confirm a power surge that allows people submit a claim to their insurers, irrespective of the fact that a claim on insurance will result in a loading that will increase the cost of insurance. In addition, people with an uninsured home will end up having to pay to replace damaged items, which is frightfully unfair. I ask the Leader to use his good office to write to the chief executive of Electric Ireland to clarify what happens and outline the protocol adopted in cases where equipment is damaged due to an unexpected power surge.

I suggest that the Committee of Public Accounts extends its remit to include the local authority auditor. It is ridiculous that we have two separate structures - the Committee of Public Accounts and the local government auditor. I suggest that we have only one structure. The Comptroller and Auditor General and the local government auditor should come under the parameters of the Committee of Public Accounts. Such an initiative would make for good-----