Enda Kenny
Ceist:1 Mr. Kenny asked the Taoiseach the responsibilities of the Ministers of State attached to his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2426/03]
Ceisteanna – Questions. - Ministerial Responsibilities.
I answered a similar question in the House on 15 October last year and I refer the Deputy to the comprehensive answer I gave on that occasion. The Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach, Deputy Hanafin, as Chief Whip, is primarily responsible for the organisation of Government business in the Dáil and the Government's programme for Dáil reform. She also oversees preparation of the Government's legislative programme and is responsible for the Central Statistics Office. She also has special responsibility for information society development with particular regard to advancing strategic priorities.
The other Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach, Deputy Roche, has a pivotal role in advancing preparations for Ireland's Presidency of the European Union next year. In addition, he has a heavy workload within the Department of Foreign Affairs representing the Government at meetings in a wide range of contexts related to European affairs and representing Ireland at EU meetings at Minister of State level on European Union affairs. He is also extensively engaged in his role as the Government's representative on the Convention on the Future of Europe.
Does the Taoiseach accept that Ireland's low ranking at 25th among OECD countries in the international information society index and in the e-rankings as published by The Economist Intelligence Unit, underlines the need for a more aggressive approach to the e-commerce brief by the Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach, Deputy Hanafin?
The Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach, Deputy Roche, heckled me in the House last week. He is not present today but—
He has a sore throat.
—he represents the Government at the Convention on the Future of Europe. Will the Taoiseach outline whether he has tabled any specific proposals for the development of the e-commerce concept at the Convention and if there has been any response?
The responsibilities of the Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach, Deputy Hanafin, do not impinge on the specific functions assigned to individual Ministers or Departments relating to the infrastructural issues around commerce in the telecommunications infrastructure. The Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources has the functional responsibilities but the Minister of State, Deputy Hanafin, is responsible for co-ordinating the continuing development of the information society, ensuring that information society issues are prioritised across all Departments – from monitoring implementation of the new connections action plan to co-ordinating the implementation of the e-Europe action plan up to 2005.
The key structures are in place to deal with that – the Cabinet committee on the information society is chaired by the Minister of State, Deputy Hanafin; there is a strategy group at Secretary General level and there is the information society implementation group of assistant secretaries. Other Ministers have responsibility for different areas. Numerous reports with differing criteria address various IT infrastructural issues. In some of these reports, Ireland is at number one; in others, at the bottom; and in yet others still, in the middle. Through various Departments and agencies, we are constantly trying to achieve as much as possible to be among the higher level groupings.
Given that it appears Ireland has slipped in the international pecking order in this vital area of development, does the Taoiseach agree that it is necessary to take specific initiatives to retrieve the situation which prevailed ten years ago, when our world ranking in e-commerce and IT was among the best under every heading? Does he further agree that, unless we return to this situation, our international position will get worse?
The question refers specifically to the responsibility of the Minister of State, Deputy Hanafin.
It is our intention to stay up the pecking order. Many of the technologies and the work with which the Minister for State is involved, in trying to keep us to the forefront, were not invented three years ago. The rate of change in the area is immense. I assure the Deputy that we are trying to keep ourselves at the front line in these areas.
The Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach, Deputy Roche, has tabled a comprehensive paper, on which he acted as rapporteur, on the institutional issues of the Convention on the Future of Europe. He has also submitted other papers along with other Members. He is gaining support for that and trying to pull together the views of the smaller countries on the institutional issues.
Most of the proposals put forward by the Minister of State, Deputy Roche, are voluminous. With regard to the e-commerce responsibilities allocated to the Minister of State, Deputy Hanafin, it is her responsibility to co-ordinate e-commerce services between Departments and agencies of the State. The Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources has responsibility for providing the engine for that, the roll-out of broadband. Is it not a fact, therefore, that the Minister of State's brief is constrained by the lack of action in the provision of broadband? The Minister recently announced the roll-out of broadband around certain towns but it is virtually impossible to dig up every lane and road in the country to provide that cable. Will the Minister of State be facilitated, in respect of her e-commerce brief, by an additional emphasis on wireless technology to facilitate the physical provision of e-commerce?
It should be clarified that e-commerce is within the brief of the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Ahern. Broadband is in the brief of the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Deputy Dermot Ahern. Neither of them is the responsibility of the Minister of State, Deputy Hanafin.
There are four involved now.
Technology applies across practically every area. Broadband is being rolled out and the first 17 areas are under operation at present. It is a short procedure. Wireless technology has been examined. Wireless technology is grand if it is within a complex. The technology is constantly advancing and changing, even in the last 18 months. At the last committee meeting I saw a brief on some of the latest technology. Wireless technology works fine in an area such as Government Buildings but it would not work in an area of the west of Ireland away from a centre. It would still be necessary to roll-out broadband.
The plan in the short-term is to roll-out broadband to the 17 towns. Over the next few years, there is a progressive plan to bring it to 123 towns. The resources have been provided for that in the national development plan. It is not possible, and will not be possible in the foreseeable future, to have it in every village and town in the country. I agree with the Deputy that as wireless technology improves we should use it where possible. However, it is limited. There was a theory a couple of years ago that wireless technology would work anywhere but, like the operation of mobile telephones, telexes and so forth, the same difficulty arises. It has a use and a value but it is limited. In the areas where one would wish it to work, it is more limited than broadband.
It is not a case of either one or the other. The broadband roll-out provided for in the five year programme must take place and the resources are available for it. Wireless technology can then be used in a more focused and limited area.
When Senator O'Rourke was the Minister in that Department she initiated a pilot project in parts of the west of Ireland and some other areas using satellite facilities. This has been an outstanding success. In the case of schools, it has allowed children from geographically disadvantaged areas—
Has the Deputy a supplementary question that is appropriate to the question he submitted, which deals exclusively with the responsibilities of the Minister of State?
Is that experiment likely to be continued? In areas that neither wireless nor cable will ever reach, it allows e-commerce to be made available across the board and, in that regard, facilitates equality of opportunity. Will the Taoiseach comment on this and assure the House that, in so far as it is possible, the momentum will be maintained?
That is outside the subject of the Deputy's question.
The Taoiseach has correctly pointed out that 17 towns are earmarked for what are called "fibre rings", which is part of the strategy to roll-out broadband. Is the Taoiseach confirming that the other towns in phases 2 and 3 of the fibre ring project, making up a total of 123, will go ahead on time? My understanding is that phases 2 and 3 were to be delayed. Will the Taoiseach confirm that after the 17 towns have been completed—
That question would be more appropriate for the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Deputy Dermot Ahern.
It is a supplementary to the Taoiseach's reply that we have just heard.
Yes, but we are getting into detail which is the responsibility of a different Minister.
I am trying to clarify the position to ensure that the House has not been misled.
The intention is to roll-out the first stage of that project. As Deputy Coveney is aware, the Minister, Deputy Dermot Ahern, has made it clear that broadband remains the top information society priority. It came originally from the Forfás report. The Minister has started rolling out areas and he has the resources to do so in the national development plan. It is the intention to keep on doing that, whether or not we can get to 123 towns within the period.
The Deputy will also be aware that the operational advances in doing this by using rail links and other methods are not nearly as complex as they were when we started the project three or four years ago. There are imaginative ways of doing it that are less disruptive. We were told, for example, that the construction programme for the 17 towns would be quite long. Deputy Kenny will be aware that one of the largest initial projects in Ballina was only announced in February and finished in May. Therefore, it is useful to know the actual construction time and cost involved, and we can gauge them quite quickly in doing this. On the satellite issue, we are moving ahead on some of those in both first and second level education.