I note the sale of electric vehicles continues to grow. I looked at the figures for last year and some 23,601 electric vehicles were registered. That is approximately 18% of total registrations. This year, to date, that figure is growing. Up to the end of June, 20,164 electric vehicles had been registered. In my own neck of the woods of Cavan-Monaghan, up to the end of May there were 155 in Cavan and 99 in Monaghan.

However, the debate and frustration continues to grow in relation to the number of charging stations available to road users who have electric vehicles. I was contacted recently by a number of constituents regarding the charging of the vehicle itself. The point they were making is that there are up to 25 registered charger companies located throughout the country and the provider available depends on the part of the country you are in. Potentially, a person might need to download 25 different apps in order to be sure to be able to charge one's vehicle when required.

I have come across a few people who have experienced issues in this regard. One gentleman had his phone stolen. He was totally marooned because he had a long journey to get home but had no way of charging his vehicle as he was not able to download the app. Another person had an issue when their phone was broken. Another person had an issue because the mobile phone coverage at the station was very poor or non-existent and, therefore, they could not access the charger. It begs the question as to why we do not have a simple card facility whereby a person could scan their bank card to issue payment to whichever provider is there. That would let them get on with their journey and take away the stress of having to download an app or whatever.

I would, at the Leader's convenience, welcome a debate with the Minister on the infrastructure and making that infrastructure more user-friendly for everybody that wants to use it.