Noel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We are very grateful to the Department for allowing continued coverage with those masts so Deputy Healy-Rae and others would grace our screens.

If somebody breaks an appliance in the household, they might put replacing it on the long finger, but if they lose the television, it is a disaster. Deputy Healy-Rae touched on this issue and I want to focus on the 2% who cannot get coverage on the Saorview system. That 2% is not dispersed around the country. One hundred percent of a community may not get Saorview coverage and I would like to focus on that. The obvious answer is Saorsat. It should, and probably would, cover a lot of it but I have a concern which has come from many of the recognised and registered installers. The signal strength Saorsat offers is strongest where the Saorview is strongest and is weakest where one cannot get Saorview. As Deputy Fleming said, that is directly affected by weather conditions, location and topography.

The lily is being gilded where it is unnecessary while not enough strength is being provided where it is needed most. I have a real concern about some people being left behind, apart from what other members said about the set top box, the additional costs and connectivity issues. People who want to subscribe to Saorsat cannot get the signal to allow them view a proper picture. Has there been feedback from registered and recognised installers who have looked at signal strength in peripheral areas of this country and who have said there is a problem in adverse weather conditions? That should be addressed.