Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)

I call on the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to address the need for the complete roll-out of broadband in the constituency of Roscommon-South Leitrim. An article appeared in a local weekly newspaper on 23 October 2007 which indicated there may be a delay or shelving of two important broadband projects for County Roscommon, namely one in the town of Castlerea and one in the town of Boyle.

The Minister should be aware that these projects were sanctioned over two years ago by the previous Government. The local authority was informed the towns of Castlerea and Boyle were included in the phase two MANs programme. It was invited to prepare contract documents following the investigation, which it has done. Those documents are to be submitted this month for approval with a view to construction early in the new year. I understand a 90% grant is available from the Government and the remaining 10% will be provided by the county councils. I also understand the cost payable by county councils can sometimes amount to 25%. The overall cost of the project is €3 million.

The people of the towns of Castlerea and Boyle and of other parts of County Roscommon will not accept the shelving of these two projects which have been approved and where the preparation documents have been put in place. The new priority list which excludes these two towns is not acceptable to the people in County Roscommon. Any such proposal would set back the hard work that has been done by Enterprise Ireland, Roscommon County Council, the enterprise boards and other development organisations in the county.

Currently, the county manager, in consultation with Enterprise Ireland and local development groups, is at an advanced stage of negotiations for a project that would bring 50 to 60 jobs to the town of Boyle for a call centre. If a proposal to defer or shelve the fibre optic cable proposal for the town of Boyle goes ahead, the opportunity for those jobs will be gone also. That is not acceptable to a town that has lost practically all of its manufacturing employment in the past seven or eight years.

Recently Enterprise Ireland, under the aegis of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, allocated €350,000 to provide a new enterprise centre in Castlerea. The local development association, in consultation with all the other agencies, decided it would be an IT-oriented enterprise centre. One can well ask where that would leave this project in the event of broadband not being rolled out early in 2008.

It appears certain persons in the Department, either with or without the consent of the Minister, are attempting to exclude important areas of population in the constituency I represent. That is not acceptable to the people there who were given a commitment over two years ago. Any attempt to row back on their entitlement at this stage will be vigorously opposed.

I cannot understand how we can ask people on the one hand to promote jobs in the IT sector while on the other hand a person in another area can decide not to introduce the communications system that would allow that to become a reality. I urge the Minister to ensure this project costing €3 million goes ahead. The county manager has indicated to me that the county council will carry the cost for 12 months in the best interests of the development of this project.

I hope we are in a position to allay the fears not alone of the elected members of Roscommon County Council, but also my fears as the Government Deputy and the fears of the good people of the towns of Castlerea and Boyle.

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