Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)

Communications frequently arise in my constituency office, as I am sure they do in that of every Deputy. A necessary concern for modern communications, business and enterprise is broadband, which shows a substantial deficit across the State. Forfás has stated that broadband services are critical to attracting direct investment, developing indigenous industry and promoting our so-called knowledge-based economy. Ireland's poor broadband record does not bode well for the future.

Emergency services telephone calls being put out to tender concerns me. Leaving such services to the private sector is unwise, judging by the sometimes poor levels of service that frustrate telephone-users throughout the State. Access to emergency call services can be a matter of life and death and should be run with optimal efficiency and accountability rather than simply being put out to tender for anyone to operate.

Regarding the recording of telephone calls from private operators, what protections are there? For instance, telephone calls are reportedly recorded for training purposes, a widespread practice that I find excessively obtrusive. What protections, if any, exist against such practices? Perhaps the Minister might enlighten us in his reply.

A stark illustration of the lack of regulation in communications is provided by premium-rate mobile telephone text messages. Those currently come under the auspices of the so-called independent regulator, RegTel. However, that is a complete misrepresentation of the position. RegTel is a creature of the very companies that it is supposed to regulate. Despite the presence on its board of eminently respectable people, including one of our esteemed colleagues in the Seanad, it is neither independent or regulatory.

As my colleague, Deputy Ferris, revealed some months ago, and as illustrated in a recent "Prime Time" documentary, the premium-rate mobile text market is rife with abuse. Tens of thousands of people have been ripped off to the tune of millions of euros by scams involving unsolicited text messages subject to reverse charges at premium rates. Often the "mark", as I believe confidence tricksters term their victims, is unaware that he or she has been taken advantage of, unless the person happens to keep a constant check on what credit remains over an extended period. People told Deputy Ferris of having been on the receiving end of such practices over a period of a year, with one person estimating that as much as €300 had been deducted.

It is an absolute disgrace that it should be allowed to happen, and even worse that there seems to be no redress. People who contact RegTel in the belief that it is an honest broker rarely receive any satisfaction, and many are afterwards astounded to be contacted directly by such companies as Realm Communications that operate such so-called services. Nor does the Data Protection Commissioner seem to have had much success, although I am aware that similar scams operated in Britain led to companies that rent lines such as Opera Telecom being fined large amounts. I wish that happened in Ireland.

All that points to the urgent necessity for ComReg to assume responsibility for the area and end the farcical situation whereby the chancers who operate such capers are allowed to regulate themselves, which is akin to appointing muggers as judges in cases of street robbery. There must also be regulation of price-charging regarding such companies as ntl Ireland, which is pushing ahead with charging customers who do not pay through direct debit, something that has caused much anger among the public.

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