Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

The Minister has put his finger on the problem. This is a fast-changing market but the Government is not providing leadership. That is the issue. There are decisions the Minister could take, on which he does not need to engage in consultation. For example, to establish what is available he could conduct an audit of telecommunications infrastructure, something we have been demanding for some time. Will the Minister begin an audit instead as there is no need for a forum? Was there any representation on the forum for those businesses which require high speed broadband to be competitive? Will the Minister indicate when we can expect a Government action plan for the roll-out of next generation broadband and will it do so with the private sector?

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