I propose to take Questions Nos. 423 and 424 together.
The Emergency Call Answering Service (ECAS) handles all emergency calls in the State and forwards calls to the relevant Emergency Service. ECAS introduced a text messaging service since 2012 to enable deaf, hard of hearing and speech-impaired people in the Republic of Ireland send an SMS text message to ECAS where it will be passed to An Garda Síochána, the Ambulance Service, the Fire service, or the Irish Coastguard as appropriate. The ECAS operator will act as a relay between the texter and the required emergency service. There is a need to register the mobile phone number before using the 112 SMS service. The Commission for Communications Regulation, Comreg, has created a webpage which includes details on how to register on its www.112.ie website.