Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In the context of Brexit, we all know how important it is for small businesses to have access to high-speed broadband. Anyone running a small business knows that if the broadband service is down, one may as well go home because no work can be done. However, there are many companies, particularly in rural Ireland, that do not have access to high-speed broadband.They lack a competitive edge when it comes to doing business in this country. In light of Brexit especially, it is almost impossible to keep on top of things if a company does not have proper access to broadband. Communities in rural Ireland are suffering massively because of the failed roll-out of the broadband plan.

It is clear that the Government has made an absolute hames of the tendering process and, ultimately, the rolling out of broadband itself for communities in rural Ireland. Recent revelations about the Minister and certain meetings do not instil much confidence in the tendering process, in particular among communities nationally which require, as a matter of urgency, access to high-speed broadband. The Minister should know, as the old maxim has it, that justice must not only be done but be seen to be done. The maxim applies equally to a tendering process and to public procurement law. The Minister's actions have potentially exposed the process to judicial review and those who will suffer are the communities in rural Ireland which do not have access to broadband.

The Government must make it an urgent priority to sort out this mess to ensure the last mile of broadband is rolled out so that all communities nationally have access to broadband, especially small businesses. I have a small business myself in Crumlin village. If I went to work tomorrow morning to find I had no access to broadband, I might as well shut up shop. My phones rely on broadband, as do my email, Internet service and entire system. Being able to use broadband also makes my business a great deal more efficient. I would be out of business if I did not have it. As such, I do not know how small businesses in rural Ireland survive without access to decent and efficient broadband.

As the Leader said, it is International Day of the Girl. We must think about what we are doing to nurture and protect our girls in Ireland. A report published by Plan International Ireland shows that 93% of women feel vulnerable just because they are women. A report on Dublin as a capital showed that one third of girls felt unsafe on public transport. It is incumbent on us as policymakers to ensure women and girls throughout the country feel safe when they are going about their day-to-day business. That includes doing simple things like taking public transport.