National broadband plan delay
Deputy Stanley criticised the repeated delays in announcing the national broadband tender and pressed for clarity on the rural roll-out. The Minister said broadband coverage had risen substantially, the state-aid tender was at an advanced stage, and the Taoiseach wanted it brought to Government for an informed decision.
I ask the Tánaiste about the latest failure to complete the national broadband tender. When I asked the Minister, Deputy Bruton, about this during Question Time just over a week ago, we were told the tender should be announced before Easter. This is the latest in a long series of delays and it is becoming farcical. There are 540,000 households and businesses, 25,000 of them in Laois-Offaly, awaiting this. Since 2012 we have had two Governments, four Ministers and one false start after another. Like other Deputies, I am left in the dark as to what is going on, but what we do know is that the Taoiseach confirmed this week that the cost has now gone up to €3 billion. Previous Ministers have told me that some 80 civil servants and consultants are working on the tendering process on behalf of the Government. We know there is only one bidder or investor left in the tendering process. People have waited long enough for this. It is holding back job creation-----
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-----right across rural Ireland, including in Laois-Offaly. What is going on with the national broadband plan?
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I think the Taoiseach dealt with this during the week but, to give the Deputy an answer, since 2012, the date he references, when the national broadband plan was introduced we have seen broadband availability increase from 30% to 74% today.
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It was always envisaged that part of the broadband plan would need to be delivered via state aid. We initiated at the end of 2015 a competitive tender to develop a proposal to deliver state aid to what was then 740,000 but subsequently became 540,000 homes and premises, comprising 1.1 million people. I think the Taoiseach indicated during the week that the work on evaluating this proposal is at a very advanced stage. He is anxious that it go to Government so an informed decision can be taken as to whether this represents an investment we should make. He has also signalled to the Houses of the Oireachtas that Members, including Deputy Stanley, will have the opportunity to scrutinise the materials when the decision is taken.