I take this opportunity to congratulate our colleague, Senator O'Reilly, on his election as a vice president of the Council of Europe. The Senator is the first Irish person to hold the position since former Deputy, Frank Fahey. It is a great honour for the Senator and I wish him well. I know that he will do this country proud in representing us at the Council.

I can confirm that.

If Senator O'Reilly needs any advice, a former vice president of the liberals and democrats and a life member of the Council, namely, Senator Leyden, is available to provide it.

Senator O'Reilly will be badly stuck if he needs to call on Senator Leyden.

I miss Senator O'Reilly already.

Perhaps Senator Wilson wants to accompany him.

The prophet Jeremiah and Judas have been mentioned. I would like to refer to Job.

Was it not St. Jude?

One can say Job or St. Jude, as Senator Buttimer can attest. The saint in question is the patron saint of hopeless cases. Unfortunately, I am afraid that the announcement by Eir yesterday casts the 500,000 people living in rural Ireland who await broadband, which is a service that has been repeatedly promised, into a state of crisis. Senator Humphreys referred to the fact that some poor people in south Dublin may have to bypass a pothole or two. It was during his party's reign in government, along with the Fine Gael Party, that the promised broadband came into being. Pat Rabbitte and various other individuals were Ministers at the time.

That is right

I do not blame anybody who feels that broadband is never going to be rolled out because they have waited for far too long. If Senator Humphreys thinks that the people of Dublin are being disenfranchised by having a pothole or two, then I invite him to visit Cavan and other rural parts of Ireland so that I can show him exactly what was achieved during his time in government, when the grant for rural roads was cut. That is another indictment of the Labour Party and, to a lesser extent, Fine Gael. The commitment relating to the broadband, which was promised but which has never materialised, was also made when Senator Humphreys was in government.

I will not mention that Fianna Fáil bankrupted the country.

It is important to clarify the record. I find myself in agreement with Senator Gavan that Eircom should never have been sold off. It was a great mistake to do so. I firmly believe that national infrastructure should be kept in the ownership of the State.

Well said.

The announcement yesterday is what happens when national infrastructure is sold to the private sector.