Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the representatives and endorse everything that has been said about the wonderful work the Samaritans are doing. Also, the corporate sector should be complimented. It does not often receive kudos, but in this instance it has certainly risen to the challenge. While I understand that decisions have yet to be taken, I am encouraged by the remarks that discussions are ongoing. When this service was being funded by the corporate sector, inevitably it was not going to commit beyond a trial period so it could see how it would work. However, as we have heard, it has not only worked but been overwhelmingly successful. Without reading too much into what has been said so far, it appears that the ongoing funding will not be threatened. This is an example of where the corporate sector has a moral responsibility in society and that is reflected very much in the continuing support it is giving. When one considers the amount involved, approximately €700,000 spread across some of the largest telecommunications companies in the world, it is a drop in the ocean financially so I hope there would not be any great difficulty in the continued funding of it.

I am particularly pleased that Sky Ireland has agreed to join in principle, because it is a major player. The GAA and the HSE are also involved. Perhaps the witnesses would explain the partnership in that regard. When I saw the reference to the GAA it reminded me that my fellow county man, Colm Regan, is employed by the GAA to look after the area of mental health, wellness and healthy activity. I am curious to hear more about the relationship.

In addition, a page at the end of the presentation relates to the network speed and service on completion. The current speed is abysmally low at 2 mb when one looks at some of the broadband speeds experienced by some parts of the country which are up to 100 mb. According to the advertisements, upc is selling up to 100 mb speeds. Is that an inhibiting factor? The upgraded speed in the proposed new circuits is still only 10 mb. Is the organisation getting more queries using this type of medium rather than just the normal telephone call? Given that this is included in the presentation I am curious to know its significance.