Joe O'Toole (Independent)

It is time for the west to wake up and stop tolerating being treated like second-class citizens by people who never have to travel in such poor conditions.

I have raised the importance of broadband infrastructure on many occasions. I am glad that the Minister is taking lessons on the development of e-government. I compliment the Government on the fact that it expects to run Cabinet meetings electronically very shortly. I welcome such a progressive move which reflects well on the members of the Government. Similarly imaginative steps should be taken in the west.

Towns like Castlebar have made huge advances in terms of new technology. Ennis is the leading town in Ireland in this area, but many towns, including Ennis, Castlebar and Galway, have put a lot of investment into this and need ICT infrastructure support. Money must be put into broadband because current investment is inadequate. Privatisation was a major mistake and it should have been a condition of any buyout that up-to-date facilities would be made available. In the era in which we live, the west can be as close to the centre of the action as Wall Street if people have the necessary ICT facilities coming into their homes.

Tá sé ráite agus sean-ráite agam leis an Aire gurb iad seo na deacrachtaí atá ag muintir na nGaeltachtaí. Brathaim i gcónái nach bhfuil tacaíocht ar leith ag dul do mhuintir na nGaeltachtaí. Tá dearcadh agus polasaithe an Stáit dírithe orthu siúd atá ag labhairt cúpla focal Gaeilge lasmuigh des na Gaeltachtaí. Tá sin i bhfad níos tábhachtaí don Stát ná tacaíocht a thabhairt dóibh siúd atá ins na Gaeltachtaí, i dtobar na teanga. Ba chóir go mbeadh tacaíocht ar fáil dóibh.