Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to comment on the national broadband plan. Without doubt, yesterday represents a very significant development whereby Eir withdrew from the tender process. It is imperative that the Minister comes to the House to debate the matter. Such a debate must be one that constitutes more than a wringing of hands on the part of the Opposition - in delight, I might add.

Broadband is, as many previous speakers indicate, a very serious issue for rural Ireland. As the economy expands, as we try to create jobs and even socially, we are part of a global village. One is really outside the loop if there is no access to high-speed broadband, which is the standard for which we must continue to strive. It is incorrect to say that broadband was promised but has not been delivered. Each week, 300 farms in rural Ireland get access to high-speed broadband. When this Government took power, only 50% of households and premises had broadband. The figure has increased to 71%. I hope it will be 77% by the end of the year as Eir continues to roll out the contract it signed with the Government.Nonetheless, I am very ambitious for the area I come from, which is a highly rural area. The people there need broadband. That is the bottom line. We need assurances from the Minister as to how this will proceed. There are still commitments on this, namely, that we should and ought to have broadband and I am not giving up on those. There is a will across the House and all sectors that it should happen. We are attempting to roll out broadband to more than 90% of premises within the timeframe we are talking about. It is pretty much unprecedented for a state to intervene in this way in the rolling out of broadband. We have positioned ourselves as a small open economy and broadband is essential in that context in terms of the beginning, middle and end. The Minister needs to come into the House as soon as possible. He will be anxious to provide clarity, give assurance and to tell us what is the way forward.