325. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the funding he can provide to parents to install a landline telephone in their home to assist a child with severe learning disabilities to avail of broadband services in order to download tailored online programmes which are crucial to the progression of the child's education and learning development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9128/16]

The provision of fixed line electronic communications networks connections and broadband services to users is undertaken on a commercial basis by competing electronic communications networks and services providers.

The Commission for Communications Regulation has imposed  a universal service obligation on Eir, which, among other things, obliges it  to provide landline connections at a standard connection charge across the country unless the costs incurred in any individual case exceeds €7,000. The standard connection charge is currently €121.93.

My Department has no funding available to it to assist users to meet the standard charge imposed by Eir for connections to its network.