I wish to talk about a report prepared by IEDR, the dot ie digital health index. It is an interesting report that raises a large number of relevant points. Poor connection is central and fundamental to SMEs. When SMEs were asked what the main barriers were to their getting online, 21% stated poor connection was one. In recent months business owners have brought to my attention the fact that the greatest obstacle to doing business is not having a proper mobile phone signal. During the Seanad election we would all have seen that in certain areas of the country there were no mobile signals whatsoever. In my constituency which is really a suburb of Dublin with towns such as Kildalkey, Kilmessan, Longwood, Clonard, Ballivor, Enfield and Oldcastle there are no mobile phone signals whatsoever. The bigger cities may not be affected but business is not confined to them. I call on the Minister responsible to call to task the mobile phone operators which, month after month, take the hard-earned money of the people and businesses of Ireland for what can only be described as a disgraceful service. I ask for clarity on what they mean by "unlimited"? We all sign up to contracts and pay €50 or €75 per month. In a country with a population of 4.5 million, that is a lot of payments of €50 or €75 per month, but the bill can go up after six, nine or 12 months. We want legislation on what "unlimited" means in the case of mobile phone and broadband services because it is a rip-off compared to other countries. We should bring forward legislation to provide that if mobile phone service providers do not provide countrywide services, their licences should not be granted or renewed.

Last night Sinn Féin tabled a motion in the Dáil seeking all-party support for the provision of 24/7 mental crisis intervention services without delay. This is certainly not an issue on which to score political points. Our families and communities cannot wait for a service any longer. We have spoken ad nauseam about this issue and for far too long. The stark reality of the non-provision of this service is that citizens in every town, village and city across the State are taking their lives and there simply is not an adequate 24/7 support service available to help those who present at all times of the day or night to deal with their suicidal thoughts and the unbearable mental anguish they suffer. Both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil tabled amendments to Sinn Féin's motion. Fine Gael's amendment noted the need for a 24-hour service but provided for no meaningful commitment. It also commited to increasing investment.