With the onset of Covid-19 has come the realisation, at long last, across all sectors of society that broadband is now as important as electricity for every home in Ireland, regardless of location. Before the end of this year, we will see a basic fibre broadband offering in our cities, as well as villages and rural areas, of 500 Mbps.

That is a far cry from the original proposal of 30 Mbps. All of us who are directly involved in the national broadband plan know that this project can be delivered far quicker than currently planned, and a commitment provided for in the new programme for Government reflects that. However, families need broadband now and we have the opportunity to capitalise on the move to remote working. I ask the Taoiseach when we will see the funding committed to accelerate urgently the roll-out of the national broadband plan.

It is a desire of Government to accelerate the roll-out of the national broadband plan and to encourage and facilitate remote working, for example, which I believe could be a big game changer over time in terms of both the quality of life for people but also enabling greater economic activity in rural Ireland. I have seen it at first hand with the Ludgate development in Skibbereen, for example, and the way that acted as a catalyst for employment growth and facilitating companies to develop and grow out of that high-speed connectivity. That was the result of a combination of voluntary, community and private sector engagement. My understanding is that the Minister will be engaging with the company to see how this can be rolled out quickly.