Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister has outlined how much broadband has improved in the last few years but all of that has been no thanks to himself, although he is not slow to stand up here today and try to give the impression that the improvement is the product of this particular Government. The Minister might consider the fact that in County Donegal, following on from the broadband mapping exercise conducted by his Department, 52% of all premises in that county, both private and residential, are awaiting a Government scheme before they will get high-speed broadband. The private sector has indicated that it will not provide services to those areas. The people are waiting on the Minister to deliver broadband but unfortunately all we have had over the last five years is the current and previous Minister, Deputy Rabbitte, making grand announcements about how they are going to deliver broadband to the public. As of now, this Government has not spent one euro in delivering broadband services to Donegal. Indeed, by the time it leaves office, this Government will not have delivered broadband services to any premises in Donegal. It is somewhere into the future, at best three to five years way, despite the fact that the current Government has been in power for five years. Donegal and other parts of the country which require State assistance to get broadband are falling behind. It is a critical item of infrastructure and businesses and every day life fall behind and areas become more peripheral without it.

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