Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I will develop Deputy Colreavy's point. I am glad to hear the Department has taken on board the fact that people's concerns are genuine. It does not matter how long we discuss this matter. The crucial issue is not consultation. There is a willingness on the part of the semi-State to listen to what people are saying, but it seems to them that is all the semi-State is doing, in that it has made up its mind. This is where the consultation is falling down. People have gone blue in the face talking, but they are not being heard. This is the problem. Listening to people and hearing what they say are completely different things.

To what extent has the use of existing infrastructure been considered? This is the most important element. It is not a question of the length of consultation, but of whether to underground or overground. That said, I am happy the consultation period has been extended, as it will give the communities a chance.

The Commission provided a progress report on the nuclear stress tests. Is it possible to get a summary of that report?

The question of how to inform people of how to engage with the SEAI process needs to be considered. People ring my office every day asking how to engage. We are spending quite a bit of money on that area.

How important is cloud computing to the small to medium-sized enterprise, SME, sector? What progress has been made on an EU legal framework on data retrieval and protection?