Vol. 889 No. 1
87. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide an update on Government policy to maintain the existing post office network nationwide; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31800/15]
I am seeking an update from the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources on Government policy to maintain the existing post office network nationwide.
I thank the Deputy for his question. The post office network plays an important role in serving the needs of business and domestic customers alike. However, the postal sector is undergoing systemic change, with migration towards electronic communications resulting in significant core mail volume decline year-on-year. It remains Government policy that An Post remain a strong and viable company.
In recognition of the changing commercial environment the Minister established the post office network business development group, of which I a member, earlier this year. The group's remit is to examine the potential from existing and new Government and commercial business that could be transacted through the post office network. The group presented its initial report to the Minister in May 2015 and outlined, in summary, that the future of the post office network would be best secured by seeking out opportunities in the following areas: financial services, including basic banking for the unbanked, Government services, social capital and enterprise, and white labelling of financial and other products.
To gain further insight into these areas, a public consultation exercise was held from 16 June to 28 July. Interested parties were invited to submit their views on the initial report. A total of 16 responses were received, and a summary of these responses together with the initial report is published on the Department's website. It is clear from the responses received that there is a strong public desire to maintain the nationwide network of post offices. While An Post remains a trusted brand, with 1,132 active company- and contractor-operated post offices as well as 125 postal agencies, it needs to further diversify into areas such as financial services and continue to develop attractive products and services that customers want and need. The consultation responses will assist the group in identifying opportunities that can benefit the post office network and will inform the final report, which I expect to be submitted to the Minister later in the autumn.
I thank the Minister of State for the reply. The post office network and its maintenance have been matters of debate or discussion in this Chamber for 20 years or more. I will be bringing forward legislation - I hope it will be taken in this Dáil session - that will change the memorandum of understanding of An Post to ensure there is a universal obligation for An Post to maintain the business network as it currently is. Anything else only amounts to paying lip-service to the post office network. I have always said that unless we have measures enshrined in legislation to the effect that the post office network must be maintained, retail outlets in communities throughout the country will continue to dwindle. We have seen what the Department of Social Protection has done in recent times. In a debate in this House in early spring of this year, we were informed by the Minister of State in that Department that the letters in question had been withdrawn by the Department. However, all the new social welfare reforms encourage people to use banks rather than the post offices. The point I am making is that regardless of the rhetoric or goodwill that exists in terms of the post office network, if the Government continues to encourage the preference for banks rather than using the post office network, we are at nothing.
We had the debate in the House regarding the letters that went out. I believe we were in unison in that regard. The option of the banks was difficult-----
They are still going out.
There was a difficulty, and it was expressed on both sides of the House. The social welfare contract is the kernel of the matter and is critical to post offices at the moment. We have to look at the broad spectrum, including services that are available in other departments within counties.
Let us consider the consultation process. Deputies can see all the submissions on the Department's website. We should listen to the post office people themselves. A campaign is under way at the moment as part of which post office proprietors are inviting politicians in. I have met a number of them. In one particular town a postmistress came up with the idea of having a one-stop shop and tourism information outlet along the Wild Atlantic Way. We have to look at all the options. We have to look at footfall, but we have to look at the bread-and-butter issues as well, and the Government contracts are critical to that.
The post office network will not be maintained unless the social welfare service is the key anchor tenant of the post offices, for the want of a better phrase. It was stated previously that the encouragement to use banks rather than post offices would be withdrawn. Will the Minister of State take this matter back to his Department and make the case for withdrawing these statements in the vast majority of new social welfare forms which encourage people to use banks instead of post offices? Will the Minister of State do that? When the small tranche of legislation that I will introduce to ensure a universal network of post offices materialises, will the Minister of State and his Department accept it?
The Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, is clear on this. A communiqué went out in the aftermath of the sending of the letters. She has been clear in saying that no further letters will go out. That answers the first question.
The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy White, will be looking at all legislation that comes before him in this House. No doubt we can have a conversation at that time.
88. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he expects Ireland to reach its renewable targets for 2020, as set out by European Union law; and the recommendations that will be contained in the White Paper on energy to reach these targets. [31916/15]
Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit go dtí an Teach. Does the Minister of State expect that Ireland will reach its renewable energy targets for 2020 as set out by the European Union? What recommendations will be contained in the White Paper on energy to ensure that we reach those targets?
The 2009 EU renewable energy directive set Ireland a legally binding target of meeting 16% of our energy requirements from renewable sources by 2020. To meet this target, Ireland is committed to providing 40% of its electricity energy, 12% of its heating energy and 10% of its transport power from renewable sources. Provisional figures provided by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland for 2014 show that 8.6% of Ireland's overall energy requirement was met by renewable energy. While the progress to date is encouraging, significant challenges remain, especially in the heat and transport sectors. Meeting our renewable electricity targets will require the delivery of critical grid infrastructure and the construction of additional renewable electricity generation capacity.
To further support the use of renewable electricity and heat, the Department launched two separate consultations on 31 July 2015 on support schemes, one for renewable electricity and one for a proposed renewable heat incentive. While the initial phase of both consultations closed on 18 September 2015, there will be two further opportunities to contribute at key stages in the design of any new scheme. Subject to Government approval and state aid clearance from the European Commission, the new schemes will become available in 2016.
Ireland aims to meet its target for renewable transport mainly through the use of sustainable biofuels. Increasing usage of electric vehicles will also make a contribution. Further increases to the obligation rate in the biofuels obligation scheme will be required in the context of achieving our 2020 target. The Minister, Deputy White, intends to initiate a consultation on this over the coming weeks.
The Minister is finalising a White Paper on energy policy, which will be published by the end of the year. The overall objective of the White Paper is to provide a coherent joined-up policy statement aimed at ensuring that Ireland has a modern, sustainable, secure and cost-effective integrated energy system which will support the transition to a largely decarbonised society and economy by 2050. The White Paper will be set in the context of broader EU energy policy, as recently articulated in both the Energy Union strategy and the EU 2030 climate and energy framework document for coherent climate and energy policies.
Reaching our targets is not simply something we have to do; it is something we should be doing. A lack of energy strategy has caused us to fall behind somewhat on our targets at the minute. It was scary to see the kind of ham-fisted attempt that was made to impose the massive wind farms in the midlands with little real discussion with the people living in the midlands. I expect the White Paper on energy will give clear guidelines on how we will approach our energy needs in the coming years in a way that respects and enjoys the support of the citizens of this land.
Will it take into account the prediction last weekend from the chief executive of the ESB that one third of Irish households will be generating their own electricity and moving towards self-sufficiency within ten years? Will this aspect be taken into account in the White Paper? What impact will that have on our ability to reach the targets?
I share Deputy Colreavy's concerns on the need for joined-up thinking and the need to put a plan in place. My predecessor, the former Minister, Deputy Pat Rabbitte, worked very hard on a bilateral agreement with the United Kingdom that did not come to fruition. It is off the agenda now. A good deal of focus went into that at the time. Anyway, the White Paper is an opportunity to pursue the agenda of the three main pillars, namely, security of supply, competitiveness, and - this relates to Deputy Colreavy's second point - self-sufficiency over a period. As I have said before, we have to learn from the mistakes of the past.
Mistakes were made in the approach by the private sector regarding what went on in the midlands, such as the forward planning announcements of vast numbers of turbines without consulting the community. If any lesson can be learned from that, it should be that we should be big and mature enough to put up our hands. If we are to have an energy supply challenge, we will need to develop the grid in a mature and responsible way, in consultation with communities.
I thank the Minister of State. I assume the White Paper will also cover aspects of retrofitting and maximising the efficiency of dwellings and businesses.
On wind turbines, in the absence of revised guidelines there is still a very great fear that the old guidelines are being used by companies that are imposing wind turbines on populations. I argued at the time that there should be a moratorium on the development of industrial scale wind turbine farms - I am not referring to individual or small numbers of wind turbines - until such time as the new guidelines were put in place. If we go through another episode of imposing unwanted solutions on a captive population, it will do a disservice to the development of renewable energy in the nation.
I am concerned to hear that there may be differences of opinion between the Departments of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and the Environment, Community and Local Government on, for example, set-back distances. Will the Minister of State comment on that aspect?
On possible new schemes in 2016, following consultation, there will be the possibility of funding schemes for SMEs and households for things such as renewable heat incentives. Once those proposals and policies come to the fore, we will be in a position to elaborate further on them.
On tensions between Departments, I do not see what happened as a tension. There is ongoing engagement and it is important to note that all of the experience of the past has to be part of the conversations on new guidelines.
On whether we can put a moratorium on any type of development between periods of time, there are inherent challenges. The biggest lesson we can learn has two fronts. First, the community has to be pivotal in the conversation and local authorities can play a major role in that regard. Second, there is a great opportunity for communities to have self-sustaining energy production. I was in a secondary school a number of months ago which has an electricity bill of around €10,000 a year. If it had the option of generating and providing its own electricity, it would be a win-win from community, security of supply and affordability points of view. A lot of very concrete and competent submissions have been made to the White Paper at a community level. That is where we must have a focus.
89. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his views on whether a high speed broadband service is vital for rural communities; the role of his Department in supporting the roll-out of broadband services for our off-shore islands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31880/15]
My question concerns high speed broadband and how vital it is for rural communities. I also want to ask the Minister of State about the role of his Department in supporting the roll-out of broadband services for the offshore islands.
I thank the Deputy. The national broadband plan draft intervention strategy which was published on 15 July 2015 sets out a series of detailed proposals by Government in respect of the proposed State intervention. It sets out the key elements of the intervention, what services are proposed and how they will be delivered. It outlines various aspects of the proposed intervention, including the type of network envisaged, the minimum speeds envisaged, the length of the contract for services and whether the network should be public or privately owned.
The draft intervention strategy has been developed following intensive engagement with industry and wider stakeholders. In addition, the European Commission has set out detailed guidelines on what is required to obtain state aid approval for Government interventions in the broadband sector. The Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources has followed these guidelines when formulating the proposed intervention strategy. Through ongoing commercial investment, most of our cities and towns will benefit from high speed broadband over the coming years. The areas that are not covered by commercial investment are the target for State-funded investment.
Last November, the Minister published a national high speed coverage map for 2016, which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. The map shows Ireland with two colours, blue and amber, and was developed based on the most up-to-date information available at the time of publication. The areas marked blue represent those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high speed broadband services by the end of 2016. The areas marked amber represent those areas where the State intends to intervene to ensure those areas will have access to high speed broadband services and this includes all the offshore islands.
The Department is currently in the process of updating the map, taking into consideration any new information received or operator announcements made of any new plans. It is expected that an updated version of the map will be published before the end of this year. The national broadband plan's ambition is to achieve 100% access to high speed broadband by the end of 2020, with 85% of all premises covered by 2018. I assure the Deputy that communities in offshore islands will be served either through commercial investment or State intervention.
We can all agree that a high speed broadband service is vital in the battle against rural decline, especially when we take into account the number of closures that have happened, such as Garda stations, post offices, banks and other services. It is also important in preventing further depopulation of the islands. Broadband could provide employment, online education and online help for start-up businesses, as well as combatting isolation. Islanders do not have the access to night classes, entertainment, etc., that we have on the mainland.
I have visited practically all the islands and I have a long association with one in particular. Its mobile phone service is also on the decline and the broadband service causes problems. The national broadband plan states "[It] aims to radically change the broadband landscape in Ireland" and the Minister of State mentioned the intervention strategy. The strategy for the islands is very much on the long finger and the Minister of State needs to re-examine the issue. I ask for direct engagement with islanders because they are the ones who know exactly what is needed to serve their communities.
I do not disagree with any of the Deputy's points on ensuring that we provide mobile phone or broadband coverage on the islands. This debate is important because the national broadband plan will go to public procurement by the end of this year. As part of that intervention, it will target the 30% of Ireland, including the islands, that is not commercially viable. The winning bidder or bidders in the procurement process will be in a position to provide that service. No decision has been made on where we start or which areas should get broadband first. It is important to have that debate and this is an opportunity to highlight the potential of the islands.
As the Deputy knows, the islands are an integral part of the Wild Atlantic Way along the west coast. Given that hundreds of thousands of people intend to visit the area and will need broadband services when they are on holiday, we should include it in the debate. It is an important area which needs priority broadband intervention.
I will take up the Wild Atlantic Way with the Minister of State another time because some of the islands feel highly aggrieved that they were very much sidestepped. That is another debate. We have to accept that islands and islanders are different. My experience is that islanders are dedicated to their community and want to stay on the islands. Broadband is a major step forward.
The Minister of State mentioned 2020, which is another five years down the line. The Blasket Islands are a glorified museum today and we do not want any more of our vibrant islands to lose their population. Eir has begun a nationwide competition to find the next Belcarra and is looking for a village or community to connect to fibre broadband. It involves an investment of €750,000 and one of the offshore islands has applied. Why is the same type of investment and encouragement not in place for all islands? A competition which one island may or may not win should not be the solution.
Will the Minister of State ensure that the islanders are engaged with directly through the national broadband scheme?
I thank the Deputy again for raising this matter. It is important to point out that 85% of the 30% intervention area will be completed by 2018, but this work will start next year. In the Deputy's contribution she spoke about the potential on the islands and those living on the islands. To give a particular example, I met a person last week who works in Scotland and on Arranmore Island, who is looking for direct connectivity between Glasgow and Donegal and Arranmore Island. She highlighted the absolute need for broadband in the work in which she is involved. I completely take the Deputy's point and her proposal or suggestion to engage with the islands on the issue. This engagement has started because there has been much public discourse coming from the islands. The Deputy also mentioned education. The Department funds an art course on Sherkin Island and broadband is a prerequisite for that course.
90. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the current state of mobile phone coverage nationwide; the steps being taken to improve signal coverage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31801/15]
Will the Minister of State outline the current state of mobile phone coverage nationwide? Will he take steps to improve the signal and commence a national audit of mobile phone coverage throughout the State?
The provision of mobile telephony services is subject to a requirement to secure access to the required radio spectrum by way of licence. The management of the radio spectrum is a statutory function of the Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg, under the Communications Regulation Act 2002, as amended. Licences issued by ComReg apply terms and conditions on mobile network operators, such as quality of service and minimum population coverage obligations. However, given that mobile services are a radio-based technology, services can be affected by several factors. These include topography, the capacity of the network and, more generally, the level and quality of access customers have to mobile phone antennae. Difficulties for service providers in erecting masts and antennae due to planning issues can also impact negatively on the quality of coverage experienced by consumers.
In terms of improving the quality and coverage of mobile services in all areas throughout the country, there are various initiatives under way to achieve this aim. The commercial telecommunications sector is investing approximately €2.5 billion in upgrading and modernising both fixed and mobile networks. This includes some €850 million invested in acquiring spectrum under the 2012 multi-band spectrum auction run by ComReg. Since then, the mobile operators have all continued to invest in rolling out 4G and enhanced 3G services nationwide. These investments are improving both the coverage and quality of voice and data services throughout the country, although I understand that some temporary disruptions to service have been encountered when upgrading mobile services nationwide.
Local authorities also have an important role to play in terms of facilitating the siting of necessary infrastructure such as masts and antennae. The Telecoms and Internet Federation, TIF, which is part of IBEC, has been quite proactive in seeking to meet local authorities and public representatives to discuss fully the various issues around mobile coverage and the factors that can impact on the quality of service consumers experience. I encourage all local authorities and public representatives to engage with the TIF on these important issues.
Does the Minister of State accept mobile phone usage has become universal over the past 20 years? There are misconceptions. Yesterday, when taking part in a debate with me, a leading member of the media made the point that at this stage it is only the tops of mountains and the bottoms of bogs which do not have mobile phone coverage. Parts of Dublin city have very poor mobile phone coverage. Our local radio station, County Sound, did a trawl and took complaints from different parts of County Cork on which we are trying to follow up. The same could be done by every local radio station the length and breadth of the country, no more, I am sure, than in the Minister of State's county of Donegal.
It is a crisis. What were blackspots 15 years ago at the turn of the new millennium are still blackspots. I contend that some parts of the country have got worse. I was quite shocked and worried by the debate we had yesterday that people would accept or think there is almost universal mobile phone coverage. There is no ten miles in any county outside of the cities where one can travel where one's phone call would not be dropped. It is time the Minister and the communications regulator took it upon themselves to audit what is out there and what type of mobile phone coverage we have. It is a tool of modern-day living, no more than any other modern convenience.
I will come back to the Deputy.
I cannot stress this enough. Will the Minister of State, together with the communications regulator, embark on an audit of mobile phone coverage in the country? I believe he and commentators would be quite shocked with what would be found.
I thank the Deputy. There is no point saying there are no problems because it is a difficulty. One hears many reasons. When the Deputy made the point yesterday on the radio, he heard technical reasons it is not happening, but the texts coming in from the public were in support of the Deputy's point that coverage has deteriorated. There are all sorts of reasons and I will not waste the Deputy's time or the public's time on whether it is because data gets priority over phone calls or whether it is because of an increase in data being communicated. There are antenna challenges. I take the Deputy's point on doing an audit of mobile phone coverage on a national basis. It is something about which we cannot be complacent. Mobile coverage is as important as broadband. People do business on their hands-free kit on the road. There is nothing more frustrating than dropping a call, and it does happen. It happened to me a couple of times today on the way to Dublin from Donegal. It happens quite regularly in Northern Ireland also. Perhaps we could widen the debate. I will certainly speak to my colleague, Deputy Frank Feighan, who is Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement to see whether different factors are involved in Northern Ireland, whether it is looking to do things differently and whether there is something we could learn together. The same sequence of dropping calls happens there as it does in the South when I am en route to Dublin.
At a meeting our party had with some of the industry providers in June, they spoke about examining some areas and perhaps turning up the power in those areas. This type of language frightened me because they were saying that if they increased the power there would be better coverage, but why is this not the case? According to legislation and statutory instrument there must be 70% coverage of the population. This should be increased to 100% of the population. The people from Kishkeam, Rockchapel and Freemount in my area, or any other towns, villages and communities with bad or no mobile phone coverage from Kerry to Donegal or Galway to Dublin, should not be disenfranchised. Why should they be without mobile phone coverage? RTE had 99.9% coverage back in the 1960s when it was first established. The technology has developed beyond what was contemplated 50 years ago. Why do these companies not provide mobile phone coverage? It is a crisis. Will the Minister of State not move it to a committee but rather take it on himself, with his senior colleague and the communications regulator, to embark within a couple of weeks on finding out the mobile phone coverage available to the citizens of the State in every community the length and breadth of the country?
I will certainly pass on the Deputy's sentiments to the Minister, Deputy White. There is a critical mix of stakeholders, be it the industry or local authorities. We can look at what did not go right in the past, when we built new motorways, and if there was enough engagement between the Government and the National Roads Authority, NRA, in the building of antennae beside motorways. We can look at what went wrong but the critical issue is to move forward. We should do anything we can as a Department to increase the engagement with different providers in the private sector. In my constituency, where there have been gaps, lapses or an unwinding of the service in certain areas, representatives of the private sector have met people in the community. We need to do more of that and I encourage service providers to let people know what is planned in a particular area and, if there are deficits, we need to meet them head on.
91. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he is aware of a recent paper stating that the emergency call answering service has performed to a consistently high standard, with the average speed of answer for a caller being 0.6 seconds, which is one of the fastest in Europe; and that the workers have concerns regarding conditions and cover for this vital service. [31881/15]
My question relates to the emergency call answering service, particularly the professionalism and performance of the operators. The workers have concerns about the conditions and cover for the service, so I ask if the Minister of State is aware of these concerns.
I am aware of these concerns and I have received documentation from individuals. I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I fully appreciate the fact that the emergency call answering service, ECAS, has been operating to an extremely high standard, with the dedication of the operators and the quality of the service they provide being a major contributor to this. The ECAS operators handle calls effectively and efficiently, often in response to stressful and distressing situations for citizens. The service answers more than 2 million calls annually and has one of the fastest emergency call answering times in Europe.
BT Ireland has operated ECAS on behalf of my Department under a concession agreement since July 2010 and is responsible for the conditions and resourcing of the service. BT Ireland employs a third party contractor, Conduit Ireland Limited, to provide operators to answer calls. Operators at ECAS call answering centres in Navan, Ballyshannon and Dublin process emergency calls and forward these to the appropriate emergency service as quickly and effectively as possible. BT Ireland uses an industry standard model to determine the number of operators required across each centre. It forecasts the number of operators required to meet the necessary operational requirements on a monthly basis and notifies Conduit six weeks in advance. BT Ireland has a health and safety policy of having a minimum of two operators on each site at any one time. This facilitates appropriate breaks, ensures the work environment is safe and allows operators time to recover if they have taken especially stressful calls. In addition, BT line managers directly answer calls if required.
The number and cost of operators is assessed annually by the Commission for Communications Regulation as part of its annual review of the cost of the ECAS service. An expert report commissioned by ComReg is appended to this review. The latest expert report was appended to a decision on costs by ComReg published in January 2015. The expert report states that ECAS "is run effectively against the service targets and quality requirements and overall is approaching 'leading practice' from a performance perspective". Furthermore, ComReg's review concluded that an increase to the operator’s hourly rate was reasonable and notified BT Ireland accordingly. This is a matter now for BT and Conduit and I understand that discussions between the two companies are advanced, with a view to addressing ComReg's findings. I hope, therefore, that the matter can be dealt with quickly, given the important service that ECAS operators provide.
I thank the Minister of State. I also acknowledge the professionalism and efficiency of the emergency call answering service. It operates 24-7 all year round, engaging with services and, occasionally, the Coast Guard. It is absolutely vital. However, there is a high turnover of staff at one centre, at East Point in Dublin. This high turnover of staff means there is a loss of very valuable skills and expertise, and the Minister of State may ask why this is so.
The Communication Workers Union did a survey and found 100% dissatisfaction with the rate of pay. In the ComReg review, it was indicated that the hourly rate should increase. We know the work is essential to the safety of the public and yet the employer continues to ignore legitimate concerns from the workers. The Minister of State indicated that he hoped this is a matter for BT and Conduit and that the companies will engage, but this is a public contract awarded by the Department responsible for communications. The workers want to be treated with dignity and respect and they want the right to be recognised by a trade union. In other words, they want the right to collective bargaining. That was also supported overwhelmingly in the survey. I ask the Minister to use his influence to ensure the company respects the workers' basic right to collective bargaining, as that is where these issues can be addressed.
I thank the Deputy again for raising this important issue. In the correspondence I have seen, as the Deputy has correctly alluded to, people use the two words, "dignity" and "respect". I am hopeful that the ongoing conversation between Conduit and BT Ireland will lead to a conclusion to this that will be favourable. I am not in a position to say whether this will happen or what will be the outcome, but I am hopeful that when people are talking and engaged in the matter, we will get an outcome that can be accepted by the workers.
Unfortunately, the employer has been ignoring all requests from the Communication Workers Union to meet. I know the workers who handle the calls to the ambulance and fire service are members of SIPTU but the emergency call answer personnel are being denied this right. ComReg also indicated that because of the critical nature of an emergency call, the system cannot be run like a fully commercialised call centre. I am not too sure if that has been taken into account.
One other aspect concerns staff cover, which affects annual leave. I know some workers were finding it difficult to get annual leave to which they are entitled because of the cover aspect. I do not share the Minister of State's confidence that the companies will deal with these matters in a fair way that respects workers' rights. If that does not happen, will the Minister then use his influence to ensure the companies - the employer - will respect worker rights, and especially the right to join and engage with a trade union?
I am in danger of repeating myself. I am clearly not involved in negotiations or conversations between BT Ireland and Conduit but I am led to believe that conversations are ongoing. I am hopeful there will be a successful outcome. The Deputy asked if the Minister can intervene if that is not the case. At this stage we must focus on a successful outcome, which is important from the workers' perspective. It is also important because we are talking about a stressful environment and these people are at the coalface. They receive phone calls that can be very stressful from time to time. It is important we highlight this. The Deputy has raised this issue publicly and I encourage BT Ireland and Conduit to take the issue seriously. I have no doubt they are doing so. I hope we can have a favourable outcome for the workers.
