Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)

My heart sank when I heard it would take at least nine months for the European Union to award a contract. For this reason, I welcome the Minister's decision to proceed with a tender process. The Minister indicated a tender document would be available shortly. Will he specify exactly when he expects the proposed initiative to proceed?

I presume the Minister is well aware of the serious problem we have with slow connections. Numerous reports have pointed out that Ireland's broadband performance is dismal in comparison with that of other countries. We have the highest percentage of slow Internet connections in Europe and rank fifth lowest for high speed connections. Ireland will not be able to compete unless we get our act together on broadband speeds.

The Minister should examine his own advice before developing an initiative. Until recently, he advised Deputies to visit the website www.broadband.gov.ie for information on operators. If one were to do so, one would find that 75% of the listed suppliers no longer exist. That is a shoddy performance.

We must address the issue of broadband speed. With regard to the assessment of the slow speed of broadband services in Ireland, how does the Minister propose to address this issue in parallel with ascertaining how bad the position is?

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