I welcome Mr. Alistair Bushe, editor of the Belfast Newsletter, who is in the company of Senator Marshall, to the Visitor's Gallery. I hope he enjoys his visit to Leinster House.

I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Bruton, to come before the House as soon as possible to explain the rationale behind the tentative decision relating to broadband roll-out. It is only a decision in principle. No contract has been signed and none will be signed during the lifetime of this Government. The matter to which I refer represents the death knell for this Government. I am of the view that this is a scandal. Granahan McCourt Capital is a US company. It does not own 1 m of fibre optic cable, one pole or a single duct. The Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, Mr. Robert Watt, has given a stark warning to the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, and the Government. The reason for him doing so is unprecedented. The ESB and EirGrid provide a service to every house in Ireland via poles, ducting and meters and yet they withdrew from the broadband tendering process because something stinks. There is something underhanded about this entire operation. SIRO, the joint venture involving Vodafone and the ESB-----

Name what is underhanded.

-----announced that it would no longer remain in the process. The Irish Independent reported on 27 September 2018 that ESB chief Pat Doherty described the withdrawal as a "difficult" decision saying that "It was made on the basis that Siro was unable to make a business case for continued participation in the process". Vodafone Ireland also withdrew. That was all on the basis of a €500 million contract. Now, however, the contract is worth €3 billion. There is a stark difference between the two. The difference is that we have Irish people who are qualified. I worked with ESB International in Malaysia when it provided services there and in similar countries. The company is the best in the world. Its poles are already in place. If Mr. McCourt is to rely on those poles, it should be borne in mind that people are withdrawing their services right, left and centre. Land lines are being withdrawn and the poles are deteriorating and are not being replaced. As a former Minister of State with responsibility for post and telegraphs who was involved in the modernisation of the postal and telecommunications services, I am in a position to state that we are not afraid to spend the money - we spent €1 billion in the 1980s on this - but we must get the results. That is the point. What is happening is the basis for a major scandal.

More will come out in the next few weeks and months. Bringing it out before the European and local elections is a further political escapade by an inexperienced Minister who has no business experience, past or present, to be in this portfolio. Business experience is needed-----

What experience did the former Minister Seán Doherty have? What experience did the Senator have?

I want to have a debate in this House. The Minister should be brought in front of this House to explain the situation in order that we can put questions to him.