Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister and acknowledge the work she has done on this issue, including in my constituency of Cork North-Central. We have a hub in both Whitechurch and Courtbrack. As a result of her intervention in engaging with private enterprise, a hub has also been put into Inniscarra community centre, which serves a large population. Although my constituency is largely a city one, it also takes in a large part of rural County Cork, going as far as within 2 miles of Mallow. There are a lot of community groups that are looking for support.

I echo what Deputies O'Connor and Stanton said about the need to engage with private enterprise with a view to getting them involved in providing the connectivity that is needed. In Inniscarra, for instance, we engaged with Cork County Council and with a company called Imagine, which put the infrastructure in place free of charge for two years. Will the Minister encourage more private enterprises to become involved in providing the hubs? There are many areas in which there will not be a broadband connection until 2025 or 2026, even though those areas are less than 12 miles from Cork city.

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