Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

To follow on from Deputy Coffey, I have one concern which the Minister might bear in mind as the legislation concludes. Landowners are concerned about the wayleave that could be given to companies other than ESB to go onto people's lands for the purposes of installing new cables. Perhaps these concerns can be addressed by the Minister or his departmental officials. There is no difficulty with the concept of the Bill among the farming community and among landowners in general because they view the transmission of broadband into rural areas as something that will benefit them as well. Their concern is that the current legislation, going back to 1927, was very specific in regard to the transmission of power across the country and the compensation that was in place at that time. Landowners are concerned that the legislation would, for example, allow people who have commercial agreements with the ESB to wander on and off and string other cables across people's lands that are not in line with the intended purpose of this Bill. The Minister might be able to clarify this point during his summing up or subsequently with the farming organisations.

See this speech in context