Mr. Declan Rice:

I will try to go quickly through some of the questions. Senator Hopkins mentioned a number of issues about the challenges. As Ms Earley remarked in covering a number of issues, we see ourselves as one-stop shops for communities and small businesses and we would like that recognised in any new framework, particularly from the point of view of innovation. It is something which we understand. It does not always have to be Einstein stuff. It can be merely a simple transfer of ideas from one area to another or from one context to another. The innovation broker idea is something which we see. Going back to what Mr. Finn was saying about animation being an important part of the role, we meet people both in farm yards and in community centres at night, kicking the tyres, etc. We do all of that stuff but we would rather have sufficient resources to let us do it to the level we think is needed.

One issue on energy is that the smart village idea is very much about areas that make the most of opportunities they have as well as integration and all of those good things. If local energy is to be a factor in rural and local development, grid access will have to be improved and localised, solutions found for local sources of energy we produce and communities will have to be allowed to keep the money they make from those sources of energy. A little work has to be done on that. Europe, as ever, is probably ahead of us in some of the examples but perhaps the smart village concept will lead to those being cascaded down.

Broadband was mentioned by a number of members. Mr. Jan Dröge, the director of the broadband office, is coming to Ireland next week to meet us. He is the head of the broadband at local level. We have many ideas. Deputy Fitzmaurice mentioned them and we have put some to the Department. There are issues, as we are told repeatedly, with state aid in respect of the national broadband plan but we are willing to have a go and put our shoulder to the wheel. We have a coherent and rational way of dealing with that.

That covers most of the questions. I probably left a lot out.