Topical Issue Debate

Job Creation

Deputy James Bannon

I welcome the Minister and also the opportunity to raise the important issue of job creation and ask about progress in securing jobs for the Mullingar area. Unfortunately, in recent years we have seen a steady decline in jobs in the town and almost every week hear about small scale job losses. In the last year alone the town and surrounding areas lost more than their fair share and a number of community employment schemes folded. We suffered job losses in the barracks, which equated to two major industries. There has been no new major industry in Mullingar in the past 20 years.

In recent years the midlands region has lost jobs at Ericsson, Tarkett Ireland and Atlantic Mills, to name but a few companies. To date, there have been no replacement jobs. Statistics are just figures; it is what lies behind them that counts. Job losses have a ripple effect in every community. As a consequence, less money is being spent in local economies which, in turn, impacts on other jobs. What is more important is the well-being of individuals and their families and the impact of unemployment in terms of loss of self-esteem, confidence and a good education, which has a demoralising impact on all age profiles.

Mullingar is located off the motorway, less than an hour's drive from Dublin. It has fine schools, an abundance of recreational facilities, hotels and other natural assets such as lakes - it is located in the heart of the lake county - and rivers, which make for a certain quality of life. Above all, it has an educated, dedicated and skilled labour force of all ages, with a wealth of experience to offer any potential employer. It has a workforce hungry for work.

God only knows the last time IDA Ireland brought a major industry to the town. While we have a new IDA Ireland business park, all we have in it are the services provided and signs. The people of Mullingar are very disappointed that they are not being considered for any new potential enterprise and baffled as they believe they have a lot to offer a major industry. It is a very fine place in which to work. While I understand why decentralisation did not and could not go ahead in the format proposed, there was a loss of up to 400 jobs, which was a devastating blow to the town.

Every time I meet representatives of Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland I receive strong indications that something is in the pipeline for Mullingar. Perhaps the Minister might provide a timeframe for when major job announcements will be made for Mullingar and the north midlands region. We need the Government to give this part of Longford and north Westmeath urgent attention to produce employment opportunities for the several thousand who are unemployed. The unemployment figures suggest the north midlands region, Mullingar in particular, has a higher than average rate of unemployment. We need early clarification before the town and rural areas are drained of their population. I ask the Government to pay very serious attention to this problem and its knock-on effects.

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Deputy Richard Bruton)

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The story of Mullingar and County Westmeath is not unlike that in the rest of the country. Essentially, we have been in a very difficult transition. This has been at the heart of the Action Plan for Jobs. When we started work on the action plan process, the economy was losing about 1,600 jobs per week, but the most recent data show that the economy is now adding 1,200 per week. That is a great testimony to the influence of enterprise and workers in knuckling down to meet the challenges presented by the crisis.

The transformation is also reflected in County Westmeath. The figures from Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland in the past four years highlight the transition. For example, 405 jobs were being lost under IDA Ireland at the height of the recession in 2009. We have since added jobs every single year: 88 in 2010, 138 in 2011 and 222 in 2012. IDA Ireland companies have been expanding and IDA Ireland puts in a lot of effort to work with companies. Some 70% of announcements concern companies expanding in Ireland. It is not, therefore, all about greenfield start-ups. Enterprise Ireland shows a similar trend of transition. In 2009, 706 jobs were lost in County Westmeath, and 91 in 2010. We have since added 30 jobs in 2011 and 171 in 2012; therefore, an improving trend is evident. The purpose of the Action Plan for Jobs is to build on these trends.

IDA Ireland seeks to market the midlands region and regional operations account for 20% of its resources. It seeks to work in the midlands region in the so-called hub locations of Athlone, Tullamore and Mullingar. There are 44 IDA Ireland client companies in the region and there is progress in County Westmeath.

The pipeline for future IDA Ireland projects is built around companies looking at Ireland as a potential country in which to invest. Between 2010 and 2012 there were 44 site visits by potential investors in County Westmeath. In 2013 there have been nine such visits. It is encouraging that these site visits were by new companies visiting the location for the first time and by senior executives in existing companies.

IDA works closely with educational institutes in the region in developing the skill set necessary to attract high value added employment and has invested in the physical infrastructure required to attract FDI to the region. This included investing €3.5 million in a quality flagship business park in Athlone which is now an integral part of the agency's international market programme. IDA is also working with SOLAS to provide guidance in developing the skill sets needs of those already in the workforce who need upskilling.

The midlands possesses a number of strengths and regionally-based assets that can be harnessed to develop further the existing enterprise base and capture future opportunities. The establishment of the local enterprise offices under a centre of excellence within Enterprise Ireland offers new potential to develop entrepreneurs within Westmeath in particular and the midlands in general. It is the new formation. The county enterprise board figures are not as strong. There have been job losses in the last two years in companies supported by the county enterprise boards and we will have a big thrust in 2014 to examine entrepreneurship regionally and nationally and see how we can build the capacity of communities to establish enterprises and see them survive and grow.

I am very conscious that Deputies feel the need for a better regional enterprise strategy. An opportunity is emerging, which I am assessing, to examine the plans of the IDA, Enterprise Ireland and the local enterprise offices in a more integrated framework to try to develop a combined strategy for enterprise within each region. I would like to see that ambition fulfilled because one can build better collaborative networks in regions such as the midlands to exploit the skills there and ensure we present the midlands to best advantage and develop the opportunities we seek to put in place. I thank Deputy Bannon for raising it and assure him that we are making progress in the area, but we are not satisfied with the progress and want to do much more.

Deputy James Bannon

I welcome the Minister's response. He referred to the midlands in general. There is a lot happening in the Athlone area and it gives an imbalance regarding the number of jobs being created. I referred to the north midlands, particularly Mullingar and Longford, where we have not the same employment opportunities. We need a stronger indication of the urgent need to support Mullingar and Longford regarding enterprise and jobs. I acknowledged the major contribution by Westmeath County Enterprise Board. It does a fine job but needs more support from the national bodies.

I have asked both privately and publicly for a special task force to be established in the midlands to try to promote job opportunities for the midlands. We have a very well-educated workforce in the midlands. I was recently amazed to learn that only approximately 5% of Mullingar graduates find jobs in the town. I do not expect 90% of Mullingar graduates to stay in Mullingar but I would like to see a higher percentage having an opportunity to do so if they wish. This must be addressed.

A very strong message came from Mullingar recently that it is open for business. This was very evident in the calibre of speakers who spoke at a recent Chamber of Commerce conference at the Mullingar Park Hotel which I attended. We need to consider the midlands because it has haemorrhaged jobs in the last ten years. The Minister, Deputy Bruton, is not responsible for that, but there is a view in Mullingar and Longford that the IDA has done sweet damn all for the northern part of the midlands.

Deputy Richard Bruton

The figures speak for themselves in terms of County Westmeath as a whole. Last year, companies supported by the IDA created 222 jobs and companies created by Enterprise Ireland created 171 jobs. That is almost 400 jobs in the exporting sector alone. Let us not forget that part of our strategy has been to build tourism and agriculture. Agriculture took on an additional 25,000 people this year in farming and food. These are sectors where the midlands has a competitive advantage and we will be trying to build on the strengths of companies in the space.

I do not believe in having task forces speckled all around the country but we need better integration of our enterprise effort in regions. We have an IDA office, Enterprise Ireland and we will now have the local enterprise offices, LEOs, all of which will be developing enterprise plans. There is potential to consider the integration of those plans and build relationships with the wider community to ensure we are exploiting the assets of regions such as the midlands and towns like Mullingar. The criticism of the IDA is unfair. Companies decide on their locations, not the IDA or the Minister. We are in a competitive environment where we are competing hard to win projects not against competition from Dublin, Galway or Athlone but we are fighting to win projects for Ireland.

When we win a company, it comes and decides which area best fits its needs. It is not led by any politician or official in the IDA. We must ensure we present our towns and regions in the best possible light and integrate our resources to make strong offers to companies which are considering investment. That is my ambition and I am keen to develop better regional enterprise strategies that can get buy-in from the assets and agencies in the region. We need to work on that over the coming years. I thank Deputy Bannon for raising this. Clearly, his impatience for more development is rightly placed and reflects my own impatience to build more job opportunities, not just in Westmeath and the midlands but nationally.

Speech and Language Therapy

Deputy Ciara Conway

I thank the Minister and the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this issue, which has been in and out of his office for a number of months now. I am delighted to have the opportunity to raise this issue regarding the lack of community-based speech and language services for adults in Waterford city. The post covers the rehabilitation in St. Patrick's Hospital for adults aged over 18 years in the community presenting with speech and language or swallowing impairment. Client groups include people with acquired neurological conditions, stroke and acquired brain injury, progressive neurological conditions, Parkinson's disease, motor neuron disease and dementia to name a few. It is a very high risk and isolated group.

The post manages patients in their rehabilitative stages of acquired conditions, for example following transfer from an acute setting in a hospital to rehabilitation, and provides support in the community when, in best case scenarios, patients are able to return home. It also provides a service to adults with a diagnosis of progressive conditions presenting with new onsets of speech delay, language and swallowing issues. A service to long-term care facilities such as nursing homes and residential facilities should also be provided should this post be filled.

This post was offered to somebody in 2011 but that person received an e-mail from the then national director of integrated services, Ms Laverne McGuinness, and the national director of human resources, Mr. Seán McGrath, that recruitment was suspended.

To date, there has been no speech and language therapy service for the adult population in the rehab community cohort of Waterford city. People are assessed and treated by speech therapists in the acute hospital, but following their discharge from hospital they are left with no service or support. As the Minister of State can imagine, this must be very isolating for this vulnerable population. The manager has recruited therapists on her team to cover urgent eating and drinking issues, but, unfortunately, this just papers over the cracks and does not highlight the need. This particular population is the most vulnerable in society. Not only are the majority of these people elderly, but they have associated communication deficits which do not allow them to speak or complain about the lack of service.

This for me is the striking issue in regard to this post. We are talking about people who have lost their ability to communicate, to speak up and to engage. We must find a solution to this problem. It is not good enough that adults who have communication difficulties because of acquired brain injury or the onset of a neurological condition are left bereft of services. The position in question has never been filled, despite having been offered two years ago. The issue is not just that the position has not been filled, but that the needs of this vulnerable group in Waterford city and the surrounding area have been left unmet. When these people are discharged from the acute section of the hospital they have no follow-up services. This must be addressed urgently as there are currently no speech and language therapy services for this adult population in Waterford city.

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Alex White)

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I understand this follows on from a query raised by a speech and language therapist in respect of the circumstances surrounding an appointment that was not made.

Waterford community services' speech and language therapy department provides services to adults and children in Waterford city and county, including to St. Patrick's rehabilitation unit in Waterford. Adult speech and language services, including at St. Patrick's rehabilitation unit, are provided by the HSE as required, based on prioritisation of referrals within the speech and language department. Both St. Patrick's Hospital in Waterford city and Dungarvan community hospital are integrated in terms of client care for continuing care, rehabilitation care, respite care, convalescence care and palliative care. Clients are placed for rehabilitation as appropriate where their assessed needs are best met within both community hospitals.

In regard to the 20-bed rehabilitation ward at St. Patrick's Hospital, there is a process in place in advance of discharge from Waterford Regional Hospital for rehabilitation. The service has developed a prioritisation system in order to manage access equitably and consistently. If a patient is assessed by the multidisciplinary team as having a requirement for speech and language therapy support during the rehabilitation phase, then this client will transfer to Dungarvan community hospital rehabilitation ward, which has 14 beds, where speech and language therapy is provided.

The current staffing complement in adult speech and language therapy services in the Waterford area is one whole-time equivalent, WTE, post, with 156 new clients attending to date in 2013, bringing the total number of attendances so far this year to 391. The current staffing complement in children's speech and language therapy services in the Waterford area is 11.3 WTE posts, with 492 new clients attending to date in 2013, with a total number of 6,230 attendances to date this year.

The HSE is required to maximise the use of limited resources at all times within the difficult financial environment we have and the ongoing national moratorium on public service recruitment. Where vacancies arise, they are considered within the overall context of available resources within the speech and language therapy department. The HSE is committed to ensuring the delivery of an appropriate speech and language therapy service across the whole Waterford area.

I have listened carefully to what the Deputy has said and to the case she has made and can only agree with her in regard to the circumstances she has described. The need for a speech and language therapy service is clear. The problem is the constraint on resources. I feel very strongly about the issue of front-line staff and I would certainly support recruitment as soon as resources allow us to recruit for these necessary posts. However, the position is as I have outlined it at this stage.

Deputy Ciara Conway

I thank the Minister of State for his response. However, I still have concerns. The Minister of State spoke about the services that are available, but those are services in acute hospital settings, not community-based settings. I reiterate that there are no speech and language services for those adults who are lucky enough to be allowed to go home. The Department of Health and the HSE have asked us to look at how we care for people who are sick and infirm. Time and again we hear about the need for these people to go home with the support of care packages. My concern is that we have people in acute beds because of the need for assessment in regard to speech and language therapy. This could be done at home if the post was filled.

In a way, we are robbing Peter to pay Paul. We must find a solution, particularly in regard to posts in the primary care area. I know the Minister of State is a great advocate of the primary care model and that he knows it is much better for the patient and the delivery of service if it can be delivered as close as possible to where the patient resides. Stroke is the third most common cause of death in this country, but it is also one of the most common causes of acquired major physical disability, particularly in regard to impairment of speech. Losing the ability to speak greatly impairs a person's ability to communicate with family, carers and others. The Irish Heart Foundation's stroke guidelines provide clear advice that following a stroke, speech and language therapy in the rehabilitation period is essential. It suggests that after a stroke, speech and language therapy should be provided for between two and eight hours per week and as early as possible. However, if people are discharged from acute hospital settings into the community where there is no service, these patients regress and may have to return to hospital.

I urge the Minister of State to communicate to the Minister my dissatisfaction in regard to the lack of provision of speech and language therapy services for the adult population in Waterford city, particularly those with very debilitating illnesses.

Deputy Alex White

I cannot disagree with anything the Deputy has said in respect of the need for care and support in the community. She is right that I have been and remain an advocate of that approach to our health care services, frankly because I do not think there is any possibility of our ever being able to fund and manage these health services in the future, to say nothing about the immediate need the Deputy has spoken about. If we look at the management and future of health care services, we will not be able to manage the funding of those services in acute settings, not to mention the appropriateness of how and where people are treated and cared for.

One of the things I have done since I took up my position was to ensure that recruitment processes were under way and that appointments were made to 265 primary care posts across the board, including public health care nurses, registered general nurses and speech and language therapists. Regrettably, there is not a speech and language therapy post for Waterford among those 265 positions, because the allocation and distribution of those posts was based on bringing each integrated service area where staffing was below the national average up towards the national average. Those areas where staffing was already above the national average did not receive additional posts as part of that process.

I ask the Deputy to accept that it is an earnest of my commitment to the kinds of issue she has raised that we must look to enhance and expand primary care and care in the community, particularly in regard to the ancillary supports that people need so badly.

Mental Health Services Provision

Deputy Dan Neville

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me raise this issue and I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to respond. People with severe and enduring mental illness can experience a range of problems which results in their lives becoming restricted and impoverished. Difficulties arise as a direct result of the disorder, and persistent symptoms can cause distress for the individual and for those around them. Medication can have disabling side effects, while non-compliance can lead to disengagement from prescribed treatment, causing likely collapse. This leads to a loss of self-confidence and sense of purpose in life, institutionalisation, social isolation and housing difficulties. This group of service users is perhaps the most vulnerable in the mental health services, and ultimately the quality of the service overall can be measured by the quality of care provided to this group. In the past this group reflected limitations in professional appreciation of their emotional and practical needs and limited appreciation of their potential to grow and develop as individuals through and beyond the experience of severe mental illness.

A Vision for Change, the report of the expert group on mental health policy, states that rehabilitation and recovery mental health teams should provide a specialised service for people disadvantaged by a range of problems which can develop with severe mental illness and which cannot be adequately dealt with by the general adult community mental health teams. It is important that a process is introduced which enables disadvantaged individuals to access as independent a life as possible in social, cultural and economic terms. A strong commitment to the principle of recovery should underpin the work of the rehabilitation team. This reflects the belief that it is possible for all service users to achieve control over their lives, recover their self-esteem and move towards building a future life where they experience a sense of belonging and participation. Many of this group experienced substantial distress resulting from persistent symptoms, institutionalisation and loss of selfhood, and require individualised specialised interventions with appropriate recovery-oriented programmes. Many could reach a level of functioning sufficient to live and enjoy a more independent life in the community.

The needs of service users with enduring mental illness for social as well as clinical recovery is not addressed by the service provision. Many of the vocational and training programmes which are a key component of rehabilitation and recovery do not meet the needs of service users for moving into mainstream employment. There is a lack of adequate housing and accommodation options to enable service users move through the difficult stages of recovery and progress towards the goal of independent community-based living. A Vision for Change recommended assigning a rehabilitation and recovery community mental health team to population groups of 100,000. Assertive outreach teams providing community-based interventions should be the principal modality through which these teams work.

Deputy Alex White

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Positive mental health is an essential component of the Government's strategy to enhance the overall health and well-being of our population. While mental health problems are, unfortunately, increasing throughout society, emerging awareness and associated debate surrounding these issues can only be welcomed. A corresponding development of policies and ensuring timely and accessible services for those with serious mental illness has therefore never been more important. In this context, the Government remains firmly committed to implementing A Vision for Change so that we have, in reality, a comprehensive, integrated, and evidence-based system of mental health services. While this approach includes, for example, obvious areas such as promotion, prevention, and a variety of treatment services, the specific area of recovery and associated rehabilitative supports is also being progressed.

An improved understanding of mental illness means that most people who use mental health services will recover to enjoy a good quality of life. The inclusion in A Vision for Change of rehabilitation and recovery community mental health teams endorses the concept of rehabilitation within an overall, effective service. Rehabilitation and recovery span virtually all aspects of mental health services, extending from continuing care to community residences, day centres and individual family supports. More than 2,800 people with a history of mental health illness live in community residences receiving either high, medium or low-level support, depending on assessed needs. Additional services are provided via social housing, day centre or social support networks within local communities.

The HSE service plan for 2013 specifically identified the need to embed and develop the ethos of recovery in the mental health care programme. The HSE will continue to strengthen this and all relevant aspects of its multidisciplinary model of care over 2014. There are 13 consultant-led rehabilitation and recovery teams. The national mental health division in the HSE is conducting a comprehensive review of its resources to maximise potential and address any gaps in specialist rehabilitation and recovery services. Where specialist rehabilitation and recovery teams have yet to be provided, these services can alternatively be delivered by general adult mental health teams.

A major direction undertaken by our mental health services since the publication of A Vision for Change is to provide services in community settings and improve access for individuals. In this regard, a significant portion of the €90 million provided since 2012 for new service developments has been directed to strengthening community mental health teams, including rehabilitation supports for adults and children.

Recruitment of the posts approved for 2012 and 2013 is continuing. As of the end of November, the recruitment process is complete or in the final stages for 395, or 95%, of the 414 posts approved in 2012. Of the posts approved in 2013, the recruitment process is complete for 134, or 28%, with 278, or 58%, at various stages of recruitment. The posts related to the €35 million allocated in 2013 will continue to come on stream and are targeted to be completed in quarter 2 of 2014.

As I have indicated, addressing the historic deficiencies of our mental health services remains a priority for Government. The Deputy and the House can remain assured that we are firmly committed to delivering A Vision for Change, including its important aspects relating to rehabilitation services.

Deputy Dan Neville

I welcome the response of the Minister of State. I am aware of the development of community-based mental health services. What I am referring to is the specialised services required for those who have enduring and persistent mental illness. A Vision for Change contains a specific recommendation on this, including an outline of the provisions required, which I do not have time to put on the record. It is interesting that it recommends having between ten and 15 psychiatric nurses in each assertive outreach team, with a maximum caseload of 12 service users to one nurse. This is how difficult it is to ensure rehabilitation. It will require all staff in the mental health system who are appointed to rehabilitation and recovery services to receive training in recovery-oriented competencies and principles.

Evaluation of the service provided to the severe and enduring group of service users should incorporate quality of life measures and assess the benefit and value of those services directly to the service users and their families. The Minister of State referred to the appointment of posts and the allocation of €90 million over the past two years, and I accept that this is the case. I am very disappointed with the slow rate of recruitment to these teams but I understand the difficulties that have been experienced. The planning stage by the HSE each year has been very slow.

In the first year, recruitment did not commence until October.

I would like again to voice my disappointment that the €35 million promised for this year's budget did not materialise. I welcome the allocation of €25 million but the expectation was that €35 million would be allocated.

Deputy Alex White

As the Deputy correctly said, chapter 12 of A Vision for Change addresses the issue he raised, which is the needs of people with severe and enduring mental illness in the context of rehabilitation and recovery, and the document envisaged a consultant-led team per 100,000 of population. He listed the professionals who would be associated with the team and the work that would be required of them. Ultimately, one team per 100,000 of population would require 45 teams nationally. I note the Deputy's comments regarding the ongoing recruitment process. My ministerial colleague, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, has worked tirelessly to ensure resources are provided and deployed to make sure these posts are filled and progress has been made in that regard.

The ring-fenced moneys in 2014 will enable the HSE to continue to develop and modernise our mental heath services in line with the recommendations of A Vision for Change and will allow for the recruitment of between 250 and 280 additional staff to enhance further our adult community mental health teams, child and adolescent mental health teams and specialist mental health teams, which will go a long way to redressing the historic and legacy issues in mental health service provision. A significant amount has been achieved by the Government and, in particular by Deputy Kathleen Lynch, in that regard. I thank the Deputy for raising the issue, as he has done on many occasions previously. I welcome his support and his constant pressure on this issue.

Rural Broadband Scheme

Deputy Robert Troy

I mean no disrespect to the Minister of State but I am disappointed that neither the Minister responsible for his area nor his junior Minister is present to take this debate. That demonstrates the emphasis the Department is putting on the provision of broadband in rural Ireland.

In the past five years, the number of broadband subscriptions in the country has increased from 600,000 to almost 1.7 million. Competition in the broadband market has begun to heat up in recent months with Eircom emerging from examinership in June, UPC upgrading its current services and the recent announcement that the ESB will enter the market. This has resulted in improved services for many urban dwellers but a digital divide is emerging between rural and urban areas. The Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources has failed to address this matter with only 25% of homes targeted in its rural broadband scheme connecting to a broadband service. The scheme provided no subsidy for householders who wanted to get connected; it simply put them in touch with a company that was prepared to supply it for a fee.

EUROSTAT, the European statistics agency, found only 67% of Irish households had a broadband connection in the second quarter of 2013. This is well below the EU average of 76%. However, this figure is disputed, as broadband lobby group, Ireland Offline, said it is much worse. Its spokesman, Eamonn Wallace, says the EUROSTAT figure includes mobile broadband or 3G as well as satellite broadband, which he claims should not be classified as broadband. He says the speeds provided by 3G and satellite are barely fast enough even to book a flight. There is an urgent need to identify blackspots. For example, villages such as Ballinacarrigy, Ardagh, Legan, Rosemount, Castletown Geoghegan, Dysart, Monalee, Rathconnell and others in my constituency that are more than 6.5 km from a large town have no access to broadband.

Broadband is not a luxury. It is a critical utility for householders and businesses. The Government talks regularly about supporting businesses in their communities. There are many communities outside the Pale and outside county towns. The Government needs to come forward early in the new year with a proper plan to prioritise and identify blackspots and to ensure it is attractive for broadband providers to service rural communities. It is not economically feasible for providers to furnish broadband in these areas. However, people cannot work from home and they urgently need access to this critical infrastructure. I look forward to the Minister of State's contribution.

Deputy Alex White

I welcome the opportunity to address the House on this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and I thank the Deputy for raising it.

Ireland's telecommunications market has been liberalised since 1999 and has developed into a well regulated market, supporting a multiplicity of commercial operators providing services over a diverse range of technology platforms. The State is not a service provider in this market and can only intervene in cases of demonstrated market failure. Considerable progress has been made in recent years in both coverage and speeds of national broadband infrastructure. A combination of private investment and State intervention, including the national broadband scheme and the rural broadband scheme, means that Ireland has met the European Commission digital agenda target of having a basic broadband service available to all areas by the 2013 deadline. The focus must now turn to accelerating the roll out of high speed broadband.

Current Government policy in this regard was adopted last year with the publication of the national broadband plan. The plan commits to the delivery of high speed broadband across the country. Delivery of this commitment is to be achieved through a combination of a State led investment in those areas where it is evident that the market will not deliver and by ensuring that the environment in right to maximise investment by the private sector. I am pleased to advise the Deputy that since the publication of the plan there is evidence that industry is investing beyond the targets to which it originally committed. In this regard, Eircom has extended its plans for the roll out of high speed services with speeds of up to 100 mbps to be delivered to 1.4 million homes. UPC has also increased its minimum and top speed products to 120 mbps and 200 mbps, respectively. Additionally, mobile operators are rolling out enhanced product offerings with Meteor and Vodafone having launched 4G mobile broadband services. Vodafone is also upgrading its 3G services to provide nationwide 3G coverage. Other operators continue to invest and Sky has entered the broadband market, offering services over the Eircom network.

Despite these welcome developments, many towns, villages and communities, particularly in rural Ireland, will receive little of this investment and the Deputy has drawn attention to that. It is accepted that Ireland's widely dispersed population and topography means it is simply not viable for the commercial sector to provide services in some areas. In an effort to address the unacceptable digital divide between rural and urban areas, the Minister's Department is engaged in intensive technical, financial and preparatory work to define the scope of the State-led investment which will facilitate the widespread availability of reliable and guaranteed high speed broadband.

In parallel, a comprehensive mapping exercise of current and anticipated investment by the commercial sector is advancing. This exercise will identify where the market is expected to deliver high speed broadband services over the coming years and consequently the precise areas that will need to be targeted by the State-led investment. A full procurement process must be designed and EU state aid approval must be obtained to progress this investment. The procurement process for the approved intervention will be carried out in accordance with EU and Irish procurement rules and it is expected that it will be launched in 2014.

Deputy Robert Troy

I thank the Minister of State for the reply. He stated: "The State is not a service provider in this market and can only intervene in cases of demonstrated market failure."

I am concerned about situations where market failure is demonstrable. Unfortunately, such failures have occurred in large parts of rural Ireland. It is welcome that the Department is preparing proposals to address the issue. Given the size of Ireland and its dispersed population, it is not economically attractive for service providers to supply the aforementioned villages. However, we need to prioritise this work. This issue has been ongoing since the first rural broadband scheme was rolled out in 2008. At the end of 2013 too many areas continue to have poor broadband services. It cannot simply be a question of identifying areas and telling people to deal with this or that provider. The services need to be affordable. I am fortunate to have opted for satellite broadband, but it cost €300 or €400 to have it installed and the service costs €50 per month. Many people cannot afford such a service. When areas are identified, we need to ensure the provision is effective and affordable. I ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to revert to me early in the new year with a clear timeframe for the completion of the work in order that we can tell people when services will be delivered to them.

Deputy Alex White

The Deputy raises an important issue and I will relay his comments to the Minister, Deputy Pat Rabbitte. I know from discussing the issue with him that he is prioritising these matters.

In addition to the State-led investment which will facilitate the widespread availability of reliable and guaranteed high-speed broadband, the national broadband plan also commits to a range of actions that will facilitate the more efficient roll-out of infrastructure, including addressing planning and road opening challenges, assisting in getting citizens online and more small businesses in Ireland transacting online, measures relating to spectrum policy and maximising the use of State assets, where possible. In this regard, I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the Minister has published the ESB (Electronic Communications Networks) Bill 2013 which will provide an explicit legal basis to enable the ESB to engage in the business of electronic communications networks and electronic communications services either by itself or in conjunction with another company. The legislation will allow the ESB to use its network infrastructure to deliver fibre services to the telecommunications market. The potential to use its considerable network to deploy fibre will contribute to the commercial deployment of broadband services. Through implementation of the national broadband plan, the Government is committed to ensuring all parts of Ireland will have access to high-speed broadband, with a view to ensuring all citizens and businesses can participate fully in and maximise the benefits of a digitally enabled economy and society.

The Dáil adjourned at 6.35 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 15 January 2014.

Dáil Éireann debate - Thursday, 19 Dec 2013