Vol. 451 No. 3
9 Mr. B. Ahern asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications the legislation, if any, that is planned to give effect to the legal, technical and social ramifications of the information agenda agreed recently in Brussels by the G7 group of nations. [4934/95]
The conclusions of the recent G7 ministerial conference in relation to the information society programme, do not, of themselves, give rise to a requirement for implementing legislation since Ireland is not a member of the group. However, to the extent that any new consensus on this agenda may emerge in the European Union, I will of course legislate as required. I will continue to monitor developments in this regard.
I welcome the increased urgency in meeting the challenges raised at the recent G7 meeting. In particular, I support the early development of the global information society, recognising the benefits this will bring to individual consumers, as well as to the broader Irish economy. In particular, I welcome the significant growth the developing information society will bring to the Irish telecommunications sector, by expanding the number of everyday uses of the underlying infrastructures. It is widely recognised that improvements in the number and quality of telecommunications services benefit business and boost economic growth. Linking Ireland to the global marketplace, via advanced telecommunications networks, will counteract the disadvantage of our peripheral location.
