I was amused by a story about the most recent campaign when a certain person climbed an eight foot gate at 8.15 a.m. to canvass a voter in a county which shall remain nameless. We must wrap up this discussion shortly. I ask the remaining speakers to be brief.

I will be very brief. Like many others, I spent recent months travelling the length and breadth of the country, from Malin Head to Mizen Head and from Galway to Dublin and back, during the course of which I became intimately acquainted with-----

Very successfully, I think.

I was a slow starter, but I got there. I came to understand the deficiencies of the mobile phone system very well, as I am sure did many others. I am not talking about broadband or Wi-Fi but basic mobile phone coverage, which is very important. Invariably, I found that one particular network worked but another did not. The State obviously issues licences to mobile service providers. The time has come to invite the Minister for Communications, Climate Change and Natural Resources to the House to discuss the issue of mobile phone coverage and mobile services in general. One will invariably find on the new motorways that one will not get a service. I do not use the phone when I am driving, but I pull in now and again to use it. On most of the new roadways, however, one can forget about doing so.

I would also like to say something about the customer service provided by the mobile network providers. If one happens to have the misfortune of going into a mobile phone shop, one will generally be obliged to queue for service. I was in one such shop the other day and there were several elderly people present, but there were no chairs for them to sit on, despite the fact that the queues were lengthy. There are many other issues I could raise, but it is a little late in the day to do so. I ask the Leader to accommodate a debate on mobile phone services at his earliest convenience.

I am not trying to stymie discussion, but we must wrap up some time.

I will be brief. I commend Senator Ned O'Sullivan who has an admirable political antenna. Whether it be seagulls or mobile phones, he certainly picks up on the issues that affect citizens.

The issue this morning was magpies.