Nicky McFadden (Fine Gael)

As a country, we are far behind in this area and, despite plan after plan and promise after promise, we are doing no better now than when the Government first took office 15 years ago. To suggest we should in any way congratulate the Government on its constant rehashing of the same plans is ludicrous and disgraceful.

There is a perception that broadband rates in Ireland are awful, and the reality is the same. When selling our economy as a location for foreign direct investment, broadband infrastructure is of great importance. While the Government constantly talks about it, we see no action. There is a serious digital divide in this country between rural and urban areas, and this is discriminatory and unacceptable. In the current climate, we cannot afford to be at a disadvantage. Rural areas need to compete for business just as much as urban areas, as has been said by all my colleagues. The lack of broadband is an appalling drag on a rural community. The Minister of State might think I am exaggerating but he should note there are areas of County Westmeath with no access to broadband, as implied by Senator Quinn. The reality is that 15 miles from the greatest urban hub, Dublin, there is no broadband access.

Last year, the European Commission published its Progress Report on the Single European Electronic Communications Market 2007, in which report Ireland got a bad score. We are well below the EU average in terms of broadband infrastructure and broadband take-up. Ireland stands at 17% in terms of broadband take-up. In urban areas, there is 90% DSL coverage. In rural areas only 70% can choose to avail of broadband. Countries such as the United Kingdom, Denmark etc. are far higher up the list and we are grouped with newer member states despite being members of the more advanced EU 15. This is a very sad reflection on the Government, which has talked for so long about improvement in this area. I am really sorry to say we have failed consistently to take action.