Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy McGrath for raising this important issue. As he is aware, the provision of electronic communications services, including the repair and restoration of telephone services, occurs within a liberalised market, regulated by the independent regulator, ComReg. As the Deputy referred to, it is responsible for the regulation of the electronic communications sector under European and national legislation.

I recognise, as the Deputy said, how vital telecommunications services are to citizens for so many aspects of their daily lives, especially during the current Covid-19 pandemic. I and officials from my Department are focused on the need to ensure that telecommunications customers are sympathetically treated at this challenging time. In this regard, officials from my Department have been engaging intensively with ComReg and with the telecommunications industry during this period. Since Covid-19 began, ComReg has been monitoring consumer issues reported to it regarding outages and, in particular, those outages for vulnerable customers that may need to be escalated. ComReg advises customers experiencing difficulties to contact their service provider in the first instance. Following this, the customer is advised to contact ComReg and, depending on the particular circumstances, the issues may be escalated by ComReg.

One of ComReg's functions is to determine the scope of the universal service obligations, USO, for the Irish market and to decide which undertaking should be designated as the universal service provider, USP. The USO is designed to ensure that every person who makes a reasonable request for access for a connection and a phone service at a fixed location can have access to a basic set of telecommunications services, no matter where he or she lives. On 29 July 2016, ComReg designated Eir as the USP until June 2021. That designation as the USP of basic telecommunication services includes a requirement, among others, to clear line faults within timelines set in the USO. As the designated USP, Eir is also required to publish information on its performance regarding the provision of the USO. ComReg publishes this information quarterly. Legally binding annual quality of service performance targets for Eir are also set by ComReg, as the independent regulator for telecommunications operators, in respect of connections and service availability targets at a national level.

Eir provides a customer guarantee scheme for repairs. It provides two months' telephone exchange line rental credit where faults are not repaired within two working days from the date the fault was reported. Any complaint that Eir is failing to provide such basic services, or failing to restore lines within a reasonable period, should be forwarded to ComReg for further examination.

I reiterate that ensuring the performance of the requirements of this USO by Eir is a statutory function of ComReg. As Minister, I have no role or function in this area. ComReg is directly accountable "for the performance of its functions to a Committee of one or both Houses of the Oireachtas", as provided for in section 34(2) of the Communications Regulation Act 2002. ComReg has a dedicated consumer helpline and I urge consumers who feel they have not received an appropriate response from service providers to make contact with the regulator.

As the Deputy has raised the issue here, I will ensure that his question and associated concerns will be raised directly with ComReg and ensure it is aware of the debate we have had tonight. It is deeply annoying and frustrating to be in situations such as those described by the Deputy. That is especially the case for people who have been left on a phone for 60 minutes waiting for a customer service operation to answer, particularly one in telecommunications. It is maddening for customers that a telecommunications company cannot answer the phone after an hour. I know that basic services that one would expect, such as quick response and contact, not being provided is a matter of real concern and I will ensure that the details of this debate are forwarded to ComReg.

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