Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Let us be honest about this. This is about the future. If Fianna Fáil is so serious about rural Ireland, it would not have voted against the Government last week in the Dáil and it would have supported us in ensuring that we have connectivity. I have every confidence that we will get a national broadband plan that will deliver high-speed broadband. However, the frustration of people is genuine. The people I spoke about are not made up; they are real people who live 9 km from Cork city, 4 km from Cork Airport, who have not got the speed and connectivity they should, although they are not in a disadvantaged rural area.

Please, let us use our language properly. Let us ensure that we have an ultimate response for the people whereby we can have investment and jobs that will allow for connectivity, the Internet and whatever anyone wants to have as part of every rural community, including those communities adjacent to cities.However, the history lesson does not wash with Members of the Opposition because they choose to forget.