Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Both post offices and broadband fall under the Minister's remit. It is very difficult for the post offices we are trying to keep in local areas to survive if they do not have a basic service like broadband. I agree with what the Minister said about bringing in younger people and providing extra services. Something that happened in my constituency today provided another example of why broadband is needed. Flair Showers Limited, which has the potential to employ 40 people in the east Cavan area, has had to move its small factory to Kingscourt because it cannot access broadband in Bailieborough. While that is wonderful for Kingscourt and for the county, the company had an established presence with a building and everything else in place in Bailieborough but it was not able to access broadband. We are going to lose jobs out of the town as a result. I have tabled a separate parliamentary question on this matter today and I look forward to the Minister's response. I want to know whether something can be done to enable small factories, companies and post offices to stay in local areas. It is dreadful to see them having to leave because they cannot get something as basic as broadband. I think not having broadband is like not having electricity.

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