Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

I flagged at an early stage that I wanted to use the vehicle of the Premium Rate Services Bill as it provides that ComReg will also address this issue given that it is a communications regulation issue. Deputy McManus is right to say that this involves two Departments and two agencies and getting agreement between them can be a complicated process. It is sometimes not as easy or as quick as one would want but one is better to do it and get it right. I said on Second Stage that this was the most appropriate mechanism for making legislative change to improve the level of access to ducting across the State. That objective set me on course to use this Bill.

We had to recommit the Bill to Committee Stage to introduce this amendment because of a ruling from the Bills Office on Committee Stage, which it was its right and under its remit to make. The level of ducting available to us, particularly in State infrastructure, puts us at an advantage. It is right for us to use such State services. This is not a situation where one just leaves it completely to the market to see what level of broadband accrues. There is a strategic interest in the State having an optimal and internationally competitive network. We have to use whatever mechanisms we have within the European market and other proper legal arrangements.

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