Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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538. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will request a company (details supplied) to assign dedicated technical teams for isolated areas such as south Kerry, to ensure a faster response to communication outages; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54651/25]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The activities of commercial operators are not planned or funded by the State and the Department has no statutory authority to intervene in that regard.

Nevertheless, my Department has been working with colleagues in industry to examine the impact that storms and adverse weather events have had on communication networks and to put in place measures and structures to lessen the impact of future storms. Progress is being made in developing improved response and resilience capacities within the sector following Storm Éowyn in January.

All network operators, both fixed and mobile, have conducted a review of their preparedness for the risks posed by storms. They have advised me of resilience investments and actions they are making this year and over the coming years to improve their networks’ abilities to withstand the kinds of physical damage and prolonged mains power loss that we experienced in January. These investments and actions include:

• Identification of critical sites that will be hardened and prioritised for recovery in the event of future storms

• Upgrades of backup battery capacity for key mobile sites

• Acquisition of additional generator capacity to be deployed to sites experiencing a prolonged loss of mains power.

• Reconfiguration of power management for priority sites, to reduce power consumption and to provide a minimum level of service for a longer period.

• Continuous replacement programme of older batteries each year to avoid degradation of the battery capacities.

• Engagement with site providers and landowners to prioritise clearance of access paths in the event of fallen trees or vegetation blocking access to hilltop sites.

My Department, in cooperation with the independent regulator, ComReg, and telecoms infrastructure providers is currently establishing a group to focus on improving the telecommunications sector’s coherence, coordination and preparedness when it comes to network resilience and future storm responses. This group will focus on ensuring that this largely privatised sector is better prepared to work with the State's national and local emergency response structures such that we will see a much better response to storm-related issues and a faster service recovery time.