Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not know about that. I agree that it is very important that we get 100% geographical coverage in terms of broadband, and I have highlighted that on all occasions possible. The Government is committed under the national broadband plan to 100% coverage. Deputy Ó Cuív knows the issues and the difficulties that have arisen with regard to that plan. We are still in a competitive process and expect contracts to be signed this autumn to allow that to be rolled out. I fully accept what the Deputy has said about Achill Island. I am sure he has seen the wonderful plan produced by the community in Achill recently, through Mayo County Council. It is a wonderful example of a bottom-up approach by a community regarding strategic goals and next steps, and it also lists the organisations and agencies that it is hoped will implement the plan.

In terms of the subhead, €2 million is available to promote the roll-out of the national broadband plan and the implementation of the recommendations of the mobile phone and broadband task force. We support the broadband officers that are in place in every local authority at a cost of just over €1 million. We also support the development of local digital strategies by local authorities, which is expected to cost €100,000. The tender for environmental assessments of applications relating to the roll-out of the national broadband plan was €125,000. The subhead also refers to supporting the roll-out of telecommunications infrastructure through targeted interventions consistent with the final report of the mobile phone and broadband task force. In that context, one of the areas we are looking at is the mapping of mobile phone blackspots throughout the country. A number of such blackspots have been identified, as one might expect, in the Connemara area in the constituency represented by me and Deputy Ó Cuív. We are looking at the possibility of funding infrastructure through the telecommunications agencies. We are advancing that through the mobile phone and broadband task force, and that is something that will be very beneficial to rural communities. It is an issue that was raised during the negotiations to form a Government and several Deputies advocated for the task force.