Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am a townie and I am coming at this from a different perspective. I am from the inner city of Dublin originally and now live in Blanchardstown, which has a small rural hinterland in The Ward. We are talking here about connectivity but only in terms of broadband and not in terms of how people get from A to B. Deputy Ó Cuiv referenced roads and I am interested in public transport in particular. There seems to be a fascination with broadband and an assumption that it will solve so many problems. There will be a sea change following Covid-19 in terms of people working from home but they will also need to be connected to where they work and we will need a combination of both. In terms of supporting and enhancing rural Ireland, these elements will all have to come together. We cannot just deal with broadband with no connection made to public transport or to roads. We must have a coherent plan. Cross-departmental development plans are essential in this context. There is a piece missing in many of the conversations on connectivity.