Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I sat here, close to Deputy Naughten, to support him as a colleague in the Department and as Minister of State since May 2016. I am as shocked as everybody by his statement. I take this opportunity to wish him well and, on this occasion, to think of his family and his mother. We all know the trials and tribulations of politics and how it can affect family life. I also acknowledge all those who support him in his constituency who will be upset for him on a personal basis and politically this evening.

Having worked with him since May 2016, I know his energy and his commitment not only to his own constituency but to rural Ireland. He has emphasised that on so many occasions and in all our work and dealings with the Department. I have attended many, if not the majority, of the management board meetings with him and all senior officials, including the Secretary General, which receives the updates from all the different sections. All Ministers and former Ministers know how these things work. They would have gone through all the latest developments and the delays and frustrations he has had with the delays in broadband. His absolute commitment to broadband has been acknowledged by many Members at various times during parliamentary questions. He raised it so often in opposition and he really wanted the job in order to deliver broadband to rural Ireland. His commitment in recent times has been to the 540,000 homes and premises which were slated under the national broadband plan to get a high fibre broadband connection.

There is a capital provision in this year's budget under the communications section of €75 million. I was at the pre-budget discussions and negotiations with the former Minister, Deputy Naughten, and the Minister for Finance. Based on those discussions, I would have anticipated that once the plan was signed, as expected, later this year, there would be extra funds to ensure it would be rolled out from 2019. His commitment to this project has been absolute.

Members have talked about the number of people who are not connected. As the former Minister stated so many times, seven out of ten houses have access and by the end of this year, it will be eight out of ten houses. Much of that is driven by the national broadband plan. Members have said Eir has not done its work for a long number of years. However, because of the national broadband plan, it has signed up to the 300,000 commitment contract the former Minister signed it up to in order to ensure that it delivers to those houses and that progress is made and that if it does not deliver the State will fine it.

We should also acknowledge that this process started prior to the former Minister's appointment, in December 2015. It has been a prolonged, difficult process. I shared his frustration, as we all did, in regard to those people who continue to wait for connections in rural Ireland. However, from all my dealings with the former Minister, Deputy Naughten, he has shown a commitment to rural Ireland, to his constituency, counties Roscommon and Galway, and to the west of Ireland. People have had strong debates here about climate change and similar matters and I know what Deputy Naughten wanted to achieve in his Department and what he was striving to do. He had a real commitment to this whole area. It is regrettable that despite that energy and commitment that he felt the need to resign.

On a personal and professional level, I wish him the best of luck for the future. It has been a privilege to work with him in the Department over the last few years. I know the pressures he has been under for the last number of days. I attended the press conference with him yesterday. It goes with political life and we appreciate that. I know there are questions that he hoped to answer in regard to other matters and I am sure there will be another opportunity for that. The Whip will be able to outline that at another stage. I take this opportunity on behalf of the Government, before others arrive, to wish him well professionally and personally. I feel for him at this time, as a colleague and as a friend.

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