Buried in Tuesday's budget documentation was an admission that the national broadband plan is running eight months behind schedule. That is two months more than the timeline presented to the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications by the contractor last month. It means that 75,000 fewer homes will have access to high-speed broadband at the end of next year than was originally planned when the contract was signed in November 2019. The yarn that was spun by the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications yesterday was that this was down to Covid delays.

However, the work was carried out outdoors and the contractors were designated as essential workers under the Covid level 5 rules. What exactly is going on and what is causing the delay?

There is a delay, unfortunately, but it is still anticipated that approximately 60,000 homes will be passed this year. Work is happening with the contractor to try to speed up and regain lost ground over the next couple of years. There were issues with Covid and delays in getting the necessary licences for poles and ducts from local authorities. National Broadband Ireland had difficulty in getting staff. Even though the staff in question were essential workers and allowed to work during the pandemic, I understand that quite a number were being recruited from overseas and issues like the travel restrictions made that difficult. The roll-out is behind schedule, but we still believe that approximately 60,000 houses will be passed this year. Work is under way to try to make up the lost ground in 2022 and 2023.