National broadband plan procurement
Deputy Timmy Dooley questioned delays and concerns over the national broadband plan procurement after major bidders withdrew. The Taoiseach said the process was novel but robust, would deliver nationwide high-speed broadband, and remained on course despite its complexity.
I thank the Taoiseach.
Comment on this
The programme for Government set out a timetable for the signing of a contract to roll out the national broadband plan in June of last year, but it has not happened. The Government has undertaken a procurement process described by the Minister as unusual in character and which has taken four years to come to a conclusion. During the course of that, all the major infrastructural development companies that had shown an interest and had begun the process have fallen by the wayside. One of the original bidders that remained in the race is no longer in it. In fact, one of the participants in the consortium has changed to the extent that we have a venture capital company left as the bidder.
Comment on this
All of the major infrastructural companies - ESB, Eir, SSE and John Laing - have pulled out. The only remaining individual is a venture capital company.
There are two questions that arise. Does this raise concerns for the Taoiseach about the long-term possibility of the rolling out of broadband? Does it raise concerns about the kind of procurement process that has been undertaken, when all we have left at the end of a four-year process is a venture capital company offering to roll out the most critical piece of infrastructure this State has ever undertaken?
Comment on this
It is fair to say this whole process is novel and has not been done before. We will become one of the first countries in the world to provide high-speed broadband to every premises - every house, every business and every farm - in the entire country. This is a big undertaking, potentially the biggest investment in rural Ireland in the history of the State and perhaps the most important one since rural electrification many decades ago. I am confident the process is robust, and that is what the Minister and the Department say to me. As the Deputy can understand, however, for very good reasons, as a member of Government I am not personally involved in that process.
Comment on this
Is the Taoiseach aware the Minister met the company involved?