I join Deputy Durkan in congratulating the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources on his appointment. I wish him well. I also congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Gallagher, who responded to a matter I raised on the Adjournment last night. I also congratulate my old sparring partner from the Committee of Public Accounts, Deputy Durkan, who will join me again in trying to invigilate a Fianna Fáil Government.
Is it not the case that the Minister, Deputy Noel Dempsey, was dropped in it by the Taoiseach during the recent reshuffle? The problems with broadband roll-out probably constitute the single greatest scandal in Irish economic life. The Minister informed the Telecommunications and Internet Federation this morning that he has a target of 400,000 domestic broadband lines. If he is to achieve his target or to reach the European broadband average, as was the intention of the previous Minister, Deputy Dermot Ahern, Esat, Eircom and the third company will have to enrol people at a rate of between 6,000 and 10,000 each week. I understand that approximately 2,000 new customers come forward each week. Our current level of broadband development will not come close to meeting the target set by the Minister.
There is grave disquiet about the quality test indicators. Does the Minister accept that at least 30% of households will never get broadband because their telephone lines cannot be enabled? When the stakes were originally erected, the lines were placed on splitters or paired lines. The Government's broadband drive is pretty hopeless for that reason. A significant proportion of households and businesses will find it difficult to become broadband enabled. Our colleagues in the Visitors Gallery reported on the famous Pittsburgh project some months ago. The project involved Dr. Anthony O'Reilly and his colleagues taking over the Eircom company.