I am thankful for the opportunity to discuss this important matter. I acknowledge the massive improvements that have been made. The national broadband plan is almost complete. Massive inroads have been made in my home county of Meath, including in the roll-out and the access it provides. That is most welcome, particularly in the area of assistive technologies for young people and older people with intellectual disabilities. It is the connectivity piece. The cost, however, is paramount. One part of me is slightly incredulous that we are having the discussing in 2026 because my experience goes back to 2018, 2019 and 2020 in Ratoath, County Meath. A Ratoath report was carried out by Ms Cora Dunne and Dr. Ann Marcus-Quinn. It made a significant contribution to discussions around the introduction of mandatory digital devices in post-primary education. It highlighted parental concerns regarding the cost and compulsory purchase. The roll-out was halted in 2020 with the Covid-19 pandemic and remote learning and having one's own device become an essential. Other than that, the long-term implications of mandated devices was largely paused rather than fully developed. In 2024, there was another report. Then, there was an OECD report in 2025, which highlighted that Ireland could benefit from a more structured and equity-driven digital education system. The models in France and Estonia provide stronger mechanisms for ensuring universal and consistent access, but they focus on the cost. Most recently, there was the July 2026 ESRI report, working paper No. 836. I apologise if I am repeating what other Members have gone through. The information is there. The plan and suggestions are effectively worked out for us. What we need now is to expand on the policy. The key finding in all three reports, which span the last seven years if we take into account 2019 when we began that exercise in Ratoath College, is that we risk reproducing and intensifying existing educational inequalities. Family income is the primary determinant, followed by school resources and institutional capacity. Even within that, there is variation between school sectors and governance structures. In terms of taking the learnings and recommendations from France, Estonia, Malta and Austria, there is a roadmap. Like it or not, it may mean pulling back from the commercial one-to-one contract between the family and the provider and centralising it. That will encompass centralised State procurement, standardised device specifications and collective purchasing arrangements, having guidelines, and having additional targeted financial supports for schools serving socio-economically disadvantaged communities. Other factor can be looked at such as VAT relief, hardware refurbishment schemes and buyback programmes. That is the approach Austria and Malta take. We are rapidly moving to the point where we have to have a centrally led approach to this subject.

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