Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will come back to Deputy Stanley with one comment. The EIB funding will be drawn down by the bidder rather than the State. In response to Deputy Eamon Ryan, as part of this competitive dialogue and procurement process, all of the bidders in this process would have had to prove at various stages during the procurement process that they had the capacity and financial resources to deliver this project. That is all part of the assessment criteria and the assessment of the final bid. That must be clearly evidenced and documented.

Will ESB poles be used? I am sure that not only ESB poles but also other ESB infrastructure, the metropolitan area networks across the country and other State-owned infrastructure will be used. We are looking at potentially up to 100% fibre, which will not be the case. We do not know how much less than that it will be. This is part of the ongoing work and engagement that has been taking place between the bidder and the Department.