Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman for the opportunity to speak. I welcome the Minister, Mr. Eamonn Molloy, Ms Mary Curtis and Mr. Mick Keogh, the genius from RTE, whom, we need at this time. Given the way things are looking, I am afraid the Minister might have to emigrate, even though the Government cannot afford to lose any more members, because we have a serious problem. Despite this mighty publicity campaign and public awareness roll-out with people going around giving talks and explaining what will happen on 24 October, the one thing nobody thought prudent was to have an engineer with those people. It is one thing to talk about a problem but it is another trying to come up with engineering solutions to it.

Many people do not get what is happening and are missing the point. I raised this issue twice with the Taoiseach and, unfortunately, on both occasions, the man failed to grasp the point. The point is that there are people who have a service today but who will not be able to get coverage after 24 October because engineering solutions are not available to them. The Taoiseach thought I was speaking about places which already had a problem with the service but I was not. These places do not have a problem now but they will have one after 24 October.

Do people realise there are parts of our country where one cannot get Sky? Everybody thinks that if one has the money and cannot get any other solution, one can always pay for Sky but there are places which do not have coverage by Sky. What solutions will be available for those people?

I am very friendly with a number of people who work in the business of selling televisions, putting up the aerials and that type of work and it is a real problem for them in certain locations. As my colleague, Deputy Fleming, outlined, people dismiss it and say only 2% of the country is in trouble. I believe the majority of the 2% are in County Kerry.

With all due respect to my colleague from Cork, Deputy Harrington, what did we do wrong in Kerry given that the investment was made in Cork? Flip all was given to County Kerry. One mast was put up in Dingle, for which I am grateful.

I highlighted the fact that I wanted a solution. Does the Minister realise the enormity of what will happen? There are places in east Kerry and in Bonane where people pay their taxes but which will have no coverage after 24 October. In Lauragh, fine hardworking people will have no coverage after 24 October. The local television men in that area are Bertie McSweeney and his son but the solutions they have come up with will not work in that a windy night will upset the dish and people will have no coverage the next day. What does the Minister propose for these people? It is a really serious situation.

A couple of years ago people might not have been as worried about television because they did not have time to watch the damn thing but now with the lack of work and everything else, in many homes, the only thing people have to do at night is to look at television to see what is happening and who is resigning from the Government.