I would like to be associated with the words expressed by Senator Wilson and congratulate Senator Joe O'Reilly on his appointment. From Cavan to the heart of Europe, I know he will excel in his role and wish him well.

I call on the Leader to arrange an early debate on broadband. This is not a new issue but it is one which gives rise to frustration. Since I came into this House in 2007, we have discussed the roll-out and availability of broadband. So far, that has not happened. The urban centres and populated areas have been provided with broadband but rural Ireland has not. A lack of broadband in rural Ireland has detrimental effects. I know that young college students from my county, Donegal, do not travel home at weekends because they cannot study due to a lack of broadband in rural parts of the county.

This morning, the Minister said that over 80 of the leading experts on broadband provision in Europe are working within his Department on the contract. Eir was one of the bidders but it pulled out because the contract is too complicated and we have been left with just one bidder. We have a monopoly situation and the final bidder can seek whatever price it wishes to be paid to provide the service. Such a situation is unacceptable, ineffective and inefficient. The State is working on the contract but I am not sure that it is best placed to do so. The taxpayer may be left to carry the can. I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on the matter as soon as possible. Obviously, the wheels have come off the wagon inside the Department. The officials either have gone with a process that is too complicated and cumbersome or Eir pulled out for commercial reasons. However, we can only speculate because we do not have the information. The Minister has an obligation to come to the House and answer our questions. This could turn into a national scandal of unprecedented proportions unless we deal with it effectively. We are not looking for state-of-the-art, world-class broadband in very remote rural homes. We are looking for a service. We do not have to be the world leader in providing broadband. There is no broadband service in certain parts of the country yet there has been talk about a service that is equivalent to that provided in the centre of New York. People must get real. Sometimes we over complicate things and I think that is what has happened in respect of the contract.

Finally, I call Senator Mulherin.

I wish to comment on the national broadband plan. Without doubt, yesterday represents a very significant development whereby Eir withdrew from the tender process. It is imperative that the Minister comes to the House to debate the matter. Such a debate must be one that constitutes more than a wringing of hands on the part of the Opposition - in delight, I might add.

Broadband is, as many previous speakers indicate, a very serious issue for rural Ireland. As the economy expands, as we try to create jobs and even socially, we are part of a global village. One is really outside the loop if there is no access to high-speed broadband, which is the standard for which we must continue to strive. It is incorrect to say that broadband was promised but has not been delivered. Each week, 300 farms in rural Ireland get access to high-speed broadband. When this Government took power, only 50% of households and premises had broadband. The figure has increased to 71%. I hope it will be 77% by the end of the year as Eir continues to roll out the contract it signed with the Government.

Nonetheless, I am very ambitious for the area I come from, which is a highly rural area. The people there need broadband. That is the bottom line. We need assurances from the Minister as to how this will proceed. There are still commitments on this, namely, that we should and ought to have broadband and I am not giving up on those. There is a will across the House and all sectors that it should happen. We are attempting to roll out broadband to more than 90% of premises within the timeframe we are talking about. It is pretty much unprecedented for a state to intervene in this way in the rolling out of broadband. We have positioned ourselves as a small open economy and broadband is essential in that context in terms of the beginning, middle and end. The Minister needs to come into the House as soon as possible. He will be anxious to provide clarity, give assurance and to tell us what is the way forward.