Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In the programme for Government, the intention is clearly set out to appoint a contractor to roll out high-speed broadband to 540,000 premises in rural parts of Ireland. A contract was due to be signed by June 2017, according to that document. The Government and, in particular, the Taoiseach talk repeatedly about supporting rural Ireland.

I note from a press notification that the Taoiseach indicated last night to the farmers at the IFA conference that he would be a champion of the self-employed and people who get up early in the morning. He went on to say that nobody gets up earlier than farmers. He is right about that; they get up very early. However, they have no access to broadband to do much of the work that they are now required to do online, to communicate with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The Tánaiste will be familiar with that work from his time in the Department. Their children, who study in school and come home to do their projects, do not have access to high-speed broadband. Those who go on to college and come home at the weekends to work on the farms and assist their parents to live and work there do not have access to high-speed broadband to do their college work. When is the Government going to sign a contract to allow work to start on the roll-out of high-speed broadband to those 540,000 premises?

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