Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)

I am doing things. I have met frequently, officially and unofficially, with some of the companies to which the Deputy refers. I have stressed, time and again, the important national interest involved in ensuring a speedy roll out of broadband and a top class telecommunications network.

One of the frustrations in attempting to deal with this was that commercial interests took precedence over the national interest. I hope that will change. It is a little ironic. Whereas often we get lectures in this House from people on the left and from trade unions etc., about the importance of worker participation and full involvement in companies, in one company in which the workers had a 25% stake they did not seem to influence policy in the national interest at all and I hope that will change when they own 35% of it.

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