Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I commend my colleague, Deputy Dooley, on bringing this motion before the House and on all his great work in communications in general. I represent the most picturesque constituency of all, namely, Cork South-West. We are on the beautiful Wild Atlantic Way, yet due to a lack of broadband and poor mobile phone coverage, or in some areas none, which also comes under the remit of the Minister, Deputy Naughten, we are like birds with our wings caught. We cannot reach our full potential in the tourism sector. Cork South-West has much to offer people who want to set up home or business, but again, the lack of broadband in many areas is a huge deterrent to both. Farmers in west Cork, as everywhere else, now have to access many payments online, but many of them cannot. Does the Minister of State know why they cannot? It is because they have no broadband.

I am advised that Bantry General Hospital attempts to run high-tech equipment in the course of its daily duties. However, the IT infrastructure available to it is simply unacceptable. It is unacceptable in an environment in which people's lives are at risk and it is unacceptable in circumstances in which hospitals such as Bantry General Hospital endeavour to take the pressure off the bigger hospitals, such as Cork University Hospital, and they are being impeded in this way. The matter is now much more serious than just missing deadlines, in which the Government is expert. An urgent review is necessary with a view to ascertaining definite timescales without any further delay.

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