Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

There are such areas, and we intend to address this issue. There is a range of DSL platforms from fixed-line operators, as well as innovative wireless operators that have provided solutions because the market was not delivering. We have taken steps with new technologies that provide solutions. There is a whole range of operators — cable operators, fibre-optic operators, mobile operators and so on — providing services that were not being provided two, three or four years ago when other countries were ahead of us.

With regard to the catch-up process, we could get into a war of statistics, but there are certain simple statistics that give an indication of where we are going. In the third quarter of 2007, which is the latest period for which figures are available, 793,000 Irish homes subscribed to broadband services. This is a significant change, by any measure, from the case 12 months previously. There was 81% growth over 12 months. This is not an international comparison but a fairly straight figure we can use as one measure of our progress. An 81% increase in one year is not insignificant.

The statistics commonly used as international measures by the OECD are more complex. I will explain in a while why I see them as being complex and difficult to understand. However, if we apply these as a standard to measure our progress, it can be seen that access to broadband has increased significantly in a relatively short time. In early 2005, according to the OECD statistics, there were three broadband subscribers per 100 of our population, while in early 2007 there were seven per 100. However, according to the latest statistics, by the end of 2007 there were 18.4 subscribers per 100. To go from three to seven to 18.4 per 100 in two years is progress.

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