Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

I am delighted to have an opportunity to speak on this issue. I congratulate the Minister opposite as this is the first occasion on which I have the opportunity to do so in an official capacity. Long before the last general election I predicted that he would be in that position among the happy hunting ground of Fianna Fáil. He did not agree with me at the time but it has happened.

I have every sympathy for the Minister who now finds himself in the position were he is the bearer of bad news. The election came and went. There was much hype beforehand about the economy being in safe hands, with plenty of money to spend on capital and current issues but now we come to the time for surgical intervention and the scalpel has come out, although not in the same manner it did after the 2002 general election. It started off with a scalpel but a larger instrument is being used — the hatchet.

It is regrettable the Minister has found it necessary to slash the budget for the greener homes scheme. Almost all headings have been cut by between 40% and 50%, which is a cruel blow at a time when much time, energy, focus and interest was put on the reason to conserve energy, reduce dependency on fossil fuels and all that goes with it. It is counter to what has been heretofore Fianna Fáil Government policy, which was that it was totally committed to fuel efficiencies and reducing the dependence on imported fossil fuels.

Long before Departments became immersed in this theory we were all involved in promoting the notion of heat conservation and efficiency in modern buildings and put it into effect at local level. That is in contrast with the Government which has allowed a situation where foundations have been poured in the past 12 months for houses that will require future grant aid to comply with the regulations. The problem that now unfolds, unfortunately, is one for the Minister. Obviously, his Fianna Fáil colleagues in Government made him an offer he could not refuse and he was told to cut or else. That is what he did and I am sorry he did that.

The previous speakers raised the issue of broadband. I would have hoped that area would have required a different attitude, a new appraisal and a departure from what had been tried previously and failed. The Minister is probably saying that is what he is about to do but that is not the case because whether we like it or not, broadband availability here is appalling. This is the result of one mistake after another in the Department. I cannot understand how anyone can see merit in the reduction of funding in that area when this country is crying out for advances in this field. We reached the bottom of the scale a long time ago and have failed miserably since to compete in Europe, where our business sector is suffering from a lack of competitiveness in the area because the responsible Department did not take the necessary measures on time. At a time when the world economy is based on technology, when the e-world is central to business, it is appalling that we, who were at the leading edge 15 years ago in this area, are now floundering with the other back-markers. It is a sad end to what once looked like a glorious future.

The Acting Chairman is asking me to wind up. I do not know if he is referring to fishing or to the winding up of the telecommunications industry in this country. Far from a Revised Estimate, we are talking about a cut that the unfortunate Minister has been forced to carry out by his Fianna Fáil colleagues in government.

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