Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

No, because this is a totally different project. It is totally different in scale and substance. When it was originally mooted, a large area was to be part of the national broadband programme. Probably the bit that was profitable would have cross-subsidised the rest of it. Owing to EU state aid rules and factors beyond our control, the private sector went in and has been able to provide broadband to those areas where it has been profitable to do so. That has left the Government picking up the tab for the most unprofitable area. That was something that changed during the course of the process. There are also changes in technology as things go on, in addition to the fact that, with any project, one can never know for sure what it will cost until the tenders and bids come in. The tenders and bids — or at least the one bid — have come in for this. This is totally different from the national children's hospital, where, well into construction on a phase-2 basis, the escalating costs emerged. That will not happen in the case in question because we actually know what the cost is going to be before we start. It is quite different on a number of grounds. Also, private finance is being invested in this. There are also user charges. People try to say this is the same as the children's hospital but it is actually nothing like it.