Paddy Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would like to raise an issue with the Deputy Leader. I suggest that we ask the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to come to the House to discuss the matter. It concerns the tariff for electricity that is being exported by ordinary private individuals. They are not getting paid. The Minister said that such a tariff would be introduced in May or June. There does not seem to be any sign of the tariff being paid to ordinary people. Many people, both contractors and private individuals, have contacted me about the issue. All other sectors are being paid a tariff. The majority of solar and wind farms receive a tariff based on how much energy they can produce. The banks give loans based on the amount of energy they can produce. I do not see why homeowners should not be properly and adequately paid for the excess energy that they produce. A tariff would act as an incentive because it would then be in homeowners' own interests to limit the amount of electricity that they are using to put more into the grid.

I wish to raise the issue of the poor level of broadband service provision on Main Street, Castlebar. I am sure the Deputy Leader is aware of the issue. A number of businesses have contacted me about it. As the Deputy Leader will be aware, there are market leaders, including Vaughan Shoes and Stauntons Pharmacy, and many other businesses based on the street. Quite a lot of business is done online. It is very important that these businesses have good broadband service provision. In some cases, the broadband speed is only 15 Mbps, when it can be up to 1,000 Mbps. It is important that the issue be addressed. I know of one business in the centre of Castlebar that has been waiting a month to get a broadband connection. These businesses will have to move out of the centre and into the rural part of the town if this issue is not addressed.I ask that the Deputy Leader bring to the attention of the Minister the poor levels of service, particularly with Eir, with which there are great problems. People are waiting quite a long time to get an answer from it and are left hanging on the phone. What is happening is not adequate at all.