Joe McHugh (Fine Gael)

Although the current peace process in Northern Ireland has reached somewhat of an impasse, the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement still prevails. There is enhanced political and cross-Border communication at local and business levels. However, there is one impediment to enhanced cross-Border co-operation at business level, namely, the "roaming" mobile telephone charges that are incumbent on business people. If we are to discuss gateway status between Derry and Letterkenny and the establishment of a linear business park there, the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Deputy Dermot Ahern, should intervene with his counterpart in Northern Ireland in the interests of reducing the charges to which I refer. By travelling five miles and crossing the Border, one can incur extra charges. We must facilitate a more harmonised economic baseline for the type of co-operation to which I refer.