The programme for Government committed to fast-tracking the national broadband plan because, thanks to Covid, there was a realisation at long last that delivering broadband to every home in Ireland has the potential to transform our economy, and nowhere more so than in rural Ireland. We witnessed a spike in local house prices as high-tech jobs relocated from the Dublin docks to rural townlands, with the knock-on potential to reduce the climate impact of transport in rural areas by reducing the need to commute long distances. Despite this, the Climate Change Advisory Council report from the OECD on reducing Ireland's transport emissions makes no reference to broadband or remote working. This is despite the OECD saying there was an opportunity for policymakers to design and implement meaningful and integrated policy packages that prioritise transformative actions and deliver the emissions reductions required.

As a former climate Minister, I am all too aware of the bizarre system whereby official Ireland has dismissed the transformative impact of the roll-out of broadband infrastructure on carbon emissions, despite the fact that 37% of our population live in rural areas. Not only has the Government made no attempt to deliver on its programme for Government commitment on broadband, but it has also failed to meet its most recent target of having 20% of the public service working remotely by the end of 2021.

One way to achieve remote working targets is to establish public service remote working hubs in every decentralised public building across the country. We have hundreds of available spaces with all the services, including secure networks, and the added bonus of ensuring staff could work in clusters, which would break down the silo mentality we have in our public service.

We also need to use the digital hubs located across the country as a stimulus to support private sector employers rolling out hybrid working to their employees. This overcomes the health and safety and HR challenges of home working while providing employees with the opportunity to work in a communal environment with the necessary infrastructure but without the need to commute long distances. It also provides a unique opportunity for innovation that could lead to significant employment creation through spin-off companies. To achieve the proper utilisation of both public and private sector employment hubs requires a government that recognises the climate and well-being potential of such hubs and requires engagement with employers and employees with a can-do approach. Sadly, there is no indication that the Government is coming to that realisation yet.

The national broadband plan had difficulties in the first two years due to Covid, problems at local authority level, the technical aspect around ducting and so on. Those problems are starting to be resolved and the plan is on track. We will meet our targets for this year. Some 94,500 premises are ready to be connected; 21,100 of those are already doing so. Schools and the broadband connection point centres across the country are in place. We can never be happy that it is fast enough but it is starting to deliver.

I agree with the Deputy's central premise. There is huge potential for life to come back into the centres of towns and villages across rural Ireland, using broadband and new remote working systems. The Tánaiste will deliver legislation in that regard shortly. I accept this is a potential we need to deliver on. The Government recognises that. It set out a strategy in May 2021, a year and a half ago, that it would establish 400 remote working hubs by 2025, of which 300 are already up and running. They are in place and working. The other 100 will be done well in advance of that target deadline. They are in just the right places, typically the centres of towns and villages, in old courthouses, cinemas or convents. The Government has provided €100 million through the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, to help to deliver those and they are being delivered. The Minister also introduced, very cleverly, a voucher scheme so people could go in and trial it, test it, get used to it and see if it works for them. That is the practical and clever way. She has also resourced the local authorities so they can promote and make use of the hub network.

My sense, with which Deputies opposite might disagree, is that it is happening in towns around the country. It varies, depending on local circumstances, but we are starting to see the advent of remote working coming out of Covid, when different patterns were set in place. New broadband technologies mean one can share and send files, have Zoom meetings and do many other things. It is starting to happen. It is working. We need to go further. We need to use Croí Cónaithe funding to turn around derelict or disused buildings in the centre of towns, so people are living there as well as working. The towns that are seeing it happen are the ones that are progressing. It helps us to address our housing crisis. Rather than everyone having to be in the cities or expensive and difficult urban areas, we are using our incredible network of 19th-century market towns. We turned away from them in previous decades, but we are turning back now. Putting town centres first, using hubs, using broadband and allowing remote working is the way forward.

Sadly, the Minister still has not acknowledged that remote working has an impact on reducing our climate emissions. The national broadband plan will deliver fibre to rural areas and families, who will come off the existing fibre broadband services. That provides an opportunity to improve the quality of wireless broadband services to families who are further down the list in terms of deployment areas by reusing that equipment.

I want to see the wireless equipment that is being taken out of some 30,000 homes over the coming year being used to connect families in more isolated areas to a wireless broadband service. To allow this to happen, councils and State agencies need to provide sites to these wireless operators so they can install transmitters to distribute the wireless broadband services. Because the extension of these services will have a short life span, up to the end of 2027, when the national broadband plan will be completed, these shites - sites - should be provided rent-free by councils and State agencies, in a proactive measure to reach out to the most isolated communities across the country.

I will look at that proposal and we will give it real consideration. The story of broadband in this country is not just about the national broadband plan. There is real progress across the country, within those areas and without. We have major investment by Eir, Virgin Media, Siro and other operators, as well as the national broadband plan, which is seeing competition, lower prices, higher speeds and better services. The strategy that works in broadband involves working collectively with industry, being flexible and innovating. That is what we need to do.

I will bring that idea back to the Department and we will see if that can be part of the growing success story. Our broadband statistics, on any analysis or European league table, show us rising rapidly and that will be good for Irish people.

I am sure Deputy Naughten's "sh-" was inadvertent.

We were hoping you would let it go. You are after bringing attention to it and making matters worse.

I am bringing attention to Deputy Michael Healy-Rae that he has three minutes.