Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael)

I welcome the news that agreement has been reached between the Chief Whip and Deputy Simon Coveney on an amended motion. I am glad the Chief Whip is looking to our side of the House and acknowledging we have ideas and the ability to put forward motions from which the country will benefit. I hope this is the start of a new trend.

I listened to the contribution made by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Eamon Ryan. There is not much point talking about a new strategy if the infrastructure to deliver it is not in place. It certainly is not in place in rural Ireland. The Government must first ensure that infrastructure is put in place so as to afford the people of rural Ireland an opportunity to move with the modern age, which is in e-Government. The national broadband scheme will, it is hoped, provide broadband services in areas currently unserved. I welcome the Minister's announcement that the scheme will be rolled-out later.

The motion calls on the Government to consider a series of innovative solutions to improve the performance of e-Government. It is important when considering the motion to ensure that the realm of e-Government becomes more user-friendly. I hope the Departments using e-Government will avail of the opportunity to provide on-line user-friendly application forms. The application process for the farm early retirement scheme — for which I am seriously considering applying — is so convoluted and technical that even legal professionals have difficulty making them, which is incredible.

We need broadband in unserviced rural areas and we need it now. Initiatives to bridge the gap in respect of broadband coverage need to be constantly updated to ensure people can avail of the new e-Government strategy. This strategy has the potential to transform public services and citizens' experience of it. To achieve this, there needs to be a re-organisation of the politics behind it. I am glad the Fine Gael motion has been taken into consideration tonight. It is hoped the next step will be to improve connectivity, band width and download speed.

The Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, and Taoiseach-elect, Deputy Brian Cowen, needs to seriously apply himself to the issue of e-Government and high speed broadband connectivity. Both must be a priority. We need more successful projects like the motor tax on-line service.

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