Micheál Carrigy (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)

Ironically, there is currently a joint meeting taking place with the Department of climate action and the Department of housing on Storm Éowyn. To follow on from that, what have we learned from it? Are we resilient with regard to our network going forward? It really showed how dependent people are on broadband connectivity, particularly in rural areas.

With regard to refunds, I do not know of any person who has told me they got notification from their provider that they are entitled to a refund if they are out of service. Have the companies made their customers aware that they can get a refund? As I said, I do not know of anybody and no one has ever said to me that they have.

The issue of blackspots has more to do with mobile phone coverage. My local authority carried out a survey a number of years ago throughout the county to mark where the blackspots were with regard to coverage. It then went to the market and informed the various companies where the blackspots were, and left it open to them. They have since come in, applied for planning and built on public infrastructure to be able to provide that coverage. There is a mechanism in our local authorities to work with the companies to identify where the blackspots are. They know where they are, whether it relates to broadband or otherwise.

The witnesses might answer those questions first.