Mark Duffy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I raise the total scandal of Eir and the lack of customer support being afforded to customers throughout the country, but in particular in my constituency of County Mayo. We have examples of customers of Eir who are out of connection since Storm Darragh on 12 December last. We also have numerous elderly customers of Eir who still have not been reconnected since the damage of the storm. It is a total scandal that this is allowed to continue in this day and age and that customers are left without any Internet connection. It needs to be addressed. We need to have strong oversight and implementation of customer care to ensure customers are not left without connectivity. We have one example of an elderly lady living alone in Belmullet. She is 93 years of age and is still without a connection. It is the same in other parts of Erris and right across County Mayo, and this issue was raised with me by local councillor Gerry Coyle. It goes back to the whole lack of connectivity we have in the area across roadways and along our train lines and bus routes, where there is still substandard and lack of cellular connection and Internet connection. There needs to be a commission set up to address this.

To go back to the individual cases, it is totally scandalous that this is allowed to continue and to be dragged on for months, where elderly and vulnerable people are being neglected. I ask that the Minister for communications would address the Seanad to talk about ways we can strongly and forcefully ensure customers of all communications providers and utility services have proper and adequate standards of connectivity throughout the country.