Today's other stories in brief
Electricity and gas prices to drop by 10-12%
Gas and electricity prices drop by 12 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively, today with a further reduction forecast in the autumn, writes Paul Cullen.
The reduction is likely to be of little benefit to most gas users over the warmer summer months but it will cut about €150 a year off the average electricity bill.
The Commission for Energy Regulation has said it should be able to pass on a further 10 per cent reduction in tariffs before the winter, provided the international wholesale price of gas remains low.
A similar fall in electricity tariffs is forecast.
Bord Gáis, which has taken over 100,000 electricity customers from the ESB in recent months, said yesterday it would also be dropping its prices.
The reduction has been made possible by steep falls in the price of wholesale gas, the strength of the euro against sterling – the currency in which gas is sold – and the fact that consumption was so high, at the higher tariff, during the cold winter.
Low road impact from incinerator
A proposed €150 million incinerator planned for Ringaskiddy in Cork harbour will not have any significant impact on traffic volumes in the area or on the wider road network around Cork, a traffic expert said yesterday.
Chartered civil engineer Tony Lynch carried out a traffic impact assessment for Indaver Ireland of its incinerator proposal by carrying out a study of traffic movements.
He said the study showed that the greatest impact would occur during the construction phase . During the operational period, traffic would increase on the N28 to Ringaskiddy by at most 5.5 per cent during lunchtime.
UK firm set to print Irish ballots
The probable award of the printing contract for some European election ballot papers to a UK company has been described as “unfortunate” by the lobby group representing Irish printers, writes Mary Minihan.
The Office of Public Works (OPW) confirmed it had notified the printing firms it intends to award a firm in Sussex, England the contract to print ballot papers for the Dublin constituency.
The Irish Print and Packaging Forum’s director, Gerry Andrews, said Government officials were needlessly putting some contracts to tender outside the State.
However, an OPW spokesman said a “cooling off” period was now in place and the contracts will not be formally awarded until Friday May 8th.
Mr Andrews said contracts worth less than €135,000 did not need to go to tender outside the State.
No apology over DUP comment
DUP Minister Sammy Wilson has refused to apologise for remarks he made about Alzheimer’s disease after SDLP Assembly member Patsy McGlone made an official complaint about him.
Mr McGlone reported how in the Assembly on February 16th Mr Wilson said, “Perhaps Alzheimer’s disease has set in” in response to a question from Mr McGlone. On Tuesday in the chamber, Mr Wilson said, “Anyone in the House who does not know that I am a councillor on Belfast City Council must be suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.”
Mr Wilson said he did not set out to upset or offend anybody and his comments were made in a lighthearted “context which was perfectly understood”.
Duffy back to work next week
Broadcaster Joe Duffy is to return to work next week after his recent hospitalisation.
RTÉ said Duffy would return to present his Radio 1 show Livelinefrom next Tuesday. Duffy had surgery on his right leg after being hit by a reversing car in Dublin three weeks ago.