In May this year Facebook announced that it is to build a 37,000 km undersea cable around Africa to provide it with better Internet access. The cable will connect 23 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Europe, and at 37,000 km long Facebook claims that the cable will be nearly equal to the circumference of the Earth. Compare this with our own dire situation where, almost a decade on from 2011, we still have to raise basic issues about the lack of a vital service such as rural broadband, which puts many counties and regions on the back foot. I want to discuss this issue with the Taoiseach. Every rural Deputy in this House knows this is a serious problem. The National Competitiveness Council also knows it is a serous problem.

In its recent report, the council makes it absolutely clear that the shift to remote working by a significant proportion of the workforce has highlighted the absence of quality, high-speed broadband across this State. Indeed, recent events have reinforced the view that the challenges and frustrations for individuals and businesses working in areas of very low or non-existent connectivity remain stubbornly high. Despite almost a decade of talk about a national broadband plan, there has been relatively little action. The Taoiseach will also be aware that this issue has generated significant concern in rural Ireland in particular. Over the past two weeks, 19 of the 68 marts across this State have been affected by almost total broadband failure. Edenderry and Birr cattle marts continue to operate with speeds of less than 30 Mbps, while Ballinakill livestock mart in County Laois is operating with speeds barely above 30 Mbps. I wrote to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy McConalogue, about the matter of the marts but I am still waiting for a substantive reply. The level 5 restrictions at marts are having a very serious and significant impact on farming families and rural communities. I have been inundated with calls to my offices about the situation. It does not make sense, given that food production is deemed to be an essential activity, that farmers are not allowed to go in along the ringside considering the absence of broadband. It is also affecting the prices farmers are getting and I have been told it is having a significant impact on the prices received. This is unfair and unjust for farming families. The marts in this State have been managed very efficiently and have been compliant with Covid-19 protocols. I ask the Taoiseach to intervene in this matter because it is unfair and this situation is simply not good enough. We need a solution.

There are two dimensions to the points raised by the Deputy, which I thank her for raising. The first relates to the overall issue of connectivity in rural Ireland and the roll-out of the national broadband contract. It is no longer a plan. The contract was signed with National Broadband Ireland, NBI, in November last year and a copy of the contract between the Government and NBI was recently published in line with a previous commitment by the Government. The Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, indicated as far back as 4 September that design work is complete or ongoing in target townlands across 20 counties, with more than 83,000 premises surveyed to date. The laying of fibre should start shortly with the first fibre to home connection in Carrigaline, County Cork, expected around December 2020. The Minister is working with NBI to look at the feasibility of accelerating aspects of this roll-out to support remote working and connect communities to approximately 300 broadband connection points, identified by local authorities, to high-speed broadband this year. That will assist communities to quickly get free public access to high-speed broadband in advance of the main deployment under the national broadband plan. Those broadband connection points would include schools, library hubs, local sports facilities and other public places. That project is well under way and 136 of those sites have been installed to date. Increasing and enhancing that level of connectivity is central to regional development.

The mart situation right now exactly mirrors what happened from April to 8 June during the first phase of Covid-19 restrictions. The overall objective of moving to level 5 was to reduce gatherings and congregations and enable people to reduce their social contacts and the opportunity for social gatherings. That is essentially it. It is a blunt and crude instrument but it is necessary. The National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET, has advised strongly that this is the course of action we should take for six weeks. We are in the second week now and the objective to the end of November is to get the numbers down. We have had submissions from many different Members of the House and the public more generally about different sectors, including gyms, marts, non-essential retail and pheasant shooting.

People have raised all sorts of issues, which I understand, and it is difficult for people. The purpose of level 5 is to work in our collective interest, to reduce the movement of people, gatherings and our social contacts, with a view to getting the numbers of cases down. We are in a downward trajectory compared with where we were two weeks ago. Level 3 was having an impact. The restrictions on interactions between households to one household only was having an impact. Level 5 will have an impact too. If we all work together, we can get the numbers down and get back to a reasonable position in December.

I thank the Taoiseach for his response. I understand that it is important to protect the lives and safety of the public. However, some of the restrictions do not make any sense. One that I am challenging is the restriction on the marts. Food production is an essential activity and I would like the restrictions on the marts to be questioned and challenged.

The Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, stated at the start of October that the first tranche of 7,900 rural homes in the national broadband plan will be passed and ready for high-speed fibre within the next ten weeks. While this is great for these homes, it is manifestly insufficient because not a single midland county was included in that announcement. We are undergoing a just transition in the midlands and it is totally unfair with regard to job creation and everything else. We are on the back foot because of the lack of broadband infrastructure. Will the Taoiseach direct the Ministers, Deputies McConalogue and Ryan, to brief rural Deputies on the outstanding issues that I have raised here? Many people are worried, especially businesses. It appears at times that the cart has been put before the horse with the actions taken by Government. We have an online trading voucher of €19.8 million for businesses but many of those businesses do not have adequate broadband, so there is no point in introducing measures such as that or the click and collect method or approach. We need to ensure that those businesses have adequate broadband.

The restrictions on the marts mirror exactly what happened between April and 8 June during the first phase of Covid-19 restrictions. While it posed challenges, people managed to get through that. We are saying that for the six weeks of level 5 restrictions, it is important that we work to try to get through them, notwithstanding the challenges that they present. I do not understate those challenges but it is important that we work collectively to get the case numbers down, and this is the most effective way to do it across the board in terms of a societal response to this. We can concede to each sector as we go along, and before we know it, we are back at some other level that will not be effective. That is the issue for us as a society. I know the Ministers, Deputies Ryan and McConalogue, have been talking to Deputies from all parties, including Members from their own parties, who have engaged strongly with them, especially on issues relating to rural Ireland. Our own Deputies and Senators have been very strong and assertive on these issues. I have no doubt that the Ministers will come before the House and talk to Deputies from all parties, as will the Minister, Deputy Ryan.

I thank Deputies for their co-operation and look forward to it continuing for the Order of Business.