Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his comprehensive reply and for outlining the provisions and objectives he has read out. I am sure he, I and everybody else in this House has had experiences in various parts of the country where one moves around the house or upstairs and sometimes out into the backyard or up the road to get an adequate mobile telephone service. This is not happening in other countries nor should it be. I realise fully that the kind of investment that is required should have been undertaken about ten or 15 years ago when this country was overflowing with money but it did not happen. I know the Minister knows that as well.

Arising from what the Minister has just said, has any particular deficiency been identified which could be remedied in the shortest possible time, be it in fibre optics, wired, wireless or satellite, which would have the effect of improving the quality of service in respect of broadband and mobile telephony? Of all the complaints I get from time to time from the business sector and those trying to set up small businesses in their homes to work from there, the lack of adequate broadband or mobile telephone services is one that comes up again and again. I was told recently that one could boil the kettle while waiting for the broadband service to come on stream. That is not a criticism of the Minister.

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