Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. Deputy Calleary raised the installation grants and replacement of windows and doors. It is fine to insulate a house but as they say down the country, "You'd winnow oats through some of the doors". What is going on is stupid. Councils are refusing to give grants for the replacement of windows and doors when someone is insulating the rest of the house. That is defeating the purpose of the scheme, and it must be urgently addressed. Some councils are providing grants for windows and doors and more are not. If common sense does not prevail on that, we are achieving nothing.

I welcome the Minister's comments on An Post because the viability of An Post is very important to rural parts of Ireland, and indeed all parts of Ireland.

The Minister spoke about broadband provision. I was not long a Member last February or March but it is my understanding, and I do not believe I misheard him, that the Minister said a document was being prepared and would be sent to Europe so that he could be given the go-ahead for subsidising the provision of broadband. He told us it was going in June. He informed us also that we would have word in October-November as to the go-ahead for that but, now, the Minister spoke about running things in parallel, which is totally different from what I understood the Minister to say a few months ago. He is talking about the procurement now and getting the go-ahead from Europe. That is totally different from what I understood a few months ago.

I note from the paperwork the EU target by 2020. A target does not give one a definition of whether one is delivering or not. A target is a target. We want closure on broadband through the country. We want solid dates at this stage. I understand it is a large task. The Minister talked about his new staff being enthusiastic, and it is great to hear that, but did he bring in those new staff within the past year or two because I am not familiar with the position or are they employed ten or 12 years? What has been done for the past ten or 12 years? Why has this not been delivered before now?

ComReg produced a report during the summer. I rang ComReg because some of what was contained in it was highfalutin, referencing the great increase in the provision of broadband here and there, but a black spot is a black spot and people in them still do not have it. That is the simple fact.

I welcome the State intervention. I understand some companies will not move into areas but how will we control that process? Private companies will tender for this contract. How will we control that down the road? We will have put money into this process. The reality is that people in rural parts of Ireland cannot even get phone coverage. There is no one to ring. One can send e-mails to everybody but no one seems to answer them. How can we ensure in the future that someone who supplies this broadband and is subsidised by the State is accountable to fulfil what they undertook to fulfil at the outset?

The Minister said he is trying to do it all together but if someone is building a house, they draw a plan elevation and in view and have a structure in terms of where they are going. Have we anything to say that this is a hub for the west and this is the way we will cover each and every area, and the same in the east and the south? The impression I am getting, and I may be picking it up the wrong way, is that we will have private operators who will come in the door and tell us what they intend to do. We will then look at the parts they will not do and subside that part. We need a strong plan in terms of where the hub for the west and the east will be located and how quickly that will be provided. Will the Minister give an undertaking that if there are areas that are black spots, and some area has ten or 15 MGS currently, he will give priority to those black spots because they will never lift off the ground if they are left, as the saying, on the hind teat?

On energy, Bord na Móna made a big announcement during the week that it is moving away from peat for energy but I believe it has no plan. An announcement has been made and from what I understand, we are looking at palm kernels from South Africa, which will mean money going out of the country again. What does the Minister intend to do about that?

We welcome a budget for inland fisheries. We welcome the provision of more staff but problems are being kicked around, and I refer to the Asian clam in Lanesboro, and the State agencies are passing the book to someone else and saying it is not their job. At the end of the day, tourism is taking the hit for that. I urge the Minister to encourage the inland fishery owners to sit down with different bodies. There should be joined-up thinking on this matter. I propose that Department representatives would sit down together at least once a month where they would focus on the same or similar issues and try to work together because in some cases the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing.