Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Acting Chairman because I am conscious of the time. The Minister also spoke about the national recovery fund and the national recovery plan. The Government must ensure that there is a clear emphasis in those plans on the need for regional balance. The pandemic has demonstrated, and my colleague, Deputy Calleary, referred to it earlier, that services do not have to be provided from our capital city or from major urban conurbation centres. Some of the key services for the public were delivered by people living in very remote areas. An issue I have discussed with the Minister, Deputy Ryan, is the urgent need to ensure that our broadband infrastructure is rolled out as rapidly as possible. We know that inadequate broadband provision in many communities has made it extremely difficult for people to work from home or students to learn at home. The phrase "blended learning" will be difficult for some students who are living in areas where the broadband infrastructure is not up to the required standard.

I mentioned that the Minister, Deputy McGrath, spoke about budget 2021 in the context of the pandemic and Brexit. Since 2015, a year before the British referendum, I spoke in numerous committees of this House about the disastrous impact Brexit would have on our country. Since 1992, I have had the privilege of representing two Border counties, namely, Cavan and Monaghan. It is an area that stretches practically from the west coast, from Blacklion in Cavan, near Bundoran on the Atlantic, to Inniskeen near Dundalk on the east coast. We have a huge land border with Northern Ireland.

The result of the Brexit referendum knocked the stuffing out of communities along the Border. I had the privilege of representing those communities in the bad days prior to the peace process and the signing of the Good Friday Agreement and I saw the huge improvement brought about as a result of the signing of that agreement. We have to ensure there will be no diminution in the workings of the agreement. It is so disheartening to see once again the nonsense in British politics, led by Mr. Johnson and his Tory Party. It is heartening to hear the likes of Mr. Hilary Benn, MP, and some other UK Members of Parliament who understand Ireland. Deputy Sherlock and I would have met them at various committee meetings over the past few years. I pay tribute to those who have championed Irish interests and who understand the difficulties Ireland will face if there is a no-deal Brexit. We sincerely hope Britain steps back from the brink.

I understand the position very well. I represent communities that very much depend on their neighbours north of the Border. Thankfully, since 1998 businesses that had no base in Northern Ireland now have bases on both sides of the Border. Our economies have become so interdependent that it is extremely important that there be no interruption to the way we go about our business. The Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade must ensure this message is hammered home to the British day in, day out.

I welcome again the commitments of senior political figures in the United States regarding the attitude they will take to a possible trade deal with Britain if there is damage done to the Good Friday Agreement. We have to ensure that message is given to the British every hour of the day because what is happening is not acceptable.

I referred to the need for greater regional balance. It is disheartening that it has taken so long to roll out proper broadband and telecommunications infrastructure throughout the country. People dealing with Eir find it absolutely frustrating. I would love the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, to talk to the company and ask it to give a proper service to its customers. They are paying dearly for its services.

Deputy Calleary spoke about the need to upgrade our regional and local roads. In the area I represent, Cavan–Monaghan, most of the many small indigenous businesses, particularly in the food, engineering and construction areas, are sited along local and regional roads. A minute amount of our road network is of a national primary or national secondary character. I sincerely hope that the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, in his negotiations at Government level for resources for transport in 2021, will ensure the needs of the non-national network are prioritised in addition to the needs of the national network. If we are to have regional balance and balanced regional economic development, we must ensure the infrastructure of rural counties is subject to investment at this time. The pandemic has demonstrated very clearly that everybody does not have to go to Dublin, Galway, Limerick or Cork to work. So much can be done from home and from digital hubs in our towns, including county towns and smaller towns. If, however, we are to keep people working in our smaller towns and villages, an upgrade to infrastructure is necessary. A small investment will go so far towards ensuring towns have the infrastructure to ensure people can work from home.

Just as I did here in April and May, I compliment the officials of the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, in particular, and all the staff in the HSE and the front-line workers, be they in the public sector or private sector, who have done such a good job since early March working in very challenging and difficult circumstances. The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection was exceptional in getting payments out to people who needed them. When I contacted officials in local offices late in the evening and over weekends, just as my constituency staff did Saturday after Saturday and late evening after late evening, I noted there was always a person to take a call, return an email or contact constituents who needed a payment or individuals who needed to be reassured there would be a payment on the way to their post office or bank without delay. So many of us came across a constituent who rang us asking about the location of the social welfare office in their county town. They said they never had a reason to go to it but now had one. Many hundreds of thousands of people were accessing social welfare services who did not do so in the past. They experienced the utmost in courtesy, co-operation and help from officials in the Department. It is important to record again our appreciation for the work of public servants in our Civil Service and the public service in general, including, of course, all front-line workers, who continue to give a great service to our public.

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