Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his reply. I am quite concerned by it but I am also concerned by the comments of Senator Quinn, for whom I have great respect. I fear there is an agenda to potentially privatise the fibre optic network in the future, something to which we would be totally opposed. I would have thought a Labour Party Minister in particular would have the same view.

I thought the measure could be included in the legislation. There is no reason a future Administration could not bring the legislation back to the Houses if it felt there was no option but to privatise the network or to sell parts of it off. That is the proper mechanism to allow for something of that nature as it would allow for a full debate in the Houses. What we are doing is signing off on a situation where a Minister could potentially privatise the network. I do not say that is the intention of the Minister but we are leaving the door open to a future Minister or Administration. It is the wrong move. I hope the Minister will reconsider.