Denis Landy (Labour) | Oireachtas source

On 24 October 2012, Saorview went live supplying a free television service to 600,000 customers. While transmission was free, it cost people more than €100 per television set to upgrade to ensure they got the service. Lo and behold, 13 months later, the same people are being told they have to rescan and retune their televisions and that the system will not be operational after February 2014. I have been contacted by many elderly people living in rural areas who do not know how to rescan or retune a television. I have been in contact with Saorview, which is a semi-State company, on this issue and have been informed it is doing everything it can to help people.

Will the Leader ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to request Saorview to set up a national briefing day for rural organisations such as community alert, neighbourhood watch, the Irish Farmers Association, residents' associations, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, the Irish Countrywomen's Association and so on, so that these people can impart the necessary knowledge to their communities on this very vital changeover? It was supposed to happen only once in October 2012 but it is happening again. If it is not done successfully, thousands of television screens belonging to elderly people living on their own will go blank in February 2014, which unacceptable. Will the Leader involve himself in this?