Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Dr. Djankov for attending. The report is vast and covers the future of work in the World Bank's 190 client countries. Everywhere is different.

We have a limited amount of time at this meeting. Dr. Djankov is somewhat familiar with Ireland and our circumstances, having been a member of ECOFIN. I presume he met former Deputy Brian Lenihan and other Ministers while he himself was a Minister. Ireland has many technology companies and everyone has electricity, but not everyone has broadband. That is unlike Vietnam where everyone manages to have broadband despite not having an electricity supply beyond solar power. There is a digital divide between generations, areas and regions in our country and across the world. What would Dr. Djankov advise our Government to do in terms of education, investment in ICT infrastructure and so on? I would regard broadband as being like electricity in that it is essential for everyone to have quality broadband that allows them to do whatever they want to do on the Internet, for example, banking, communicating, emailing, working remotely, desktop publishing etc. What should Ireland's priority be?