Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

My understanding from answers provided to the committee over the past couple of years - I am open to correction - by Ministers and senior departmental officials is that Eir, SIRO and Enet or, as it is now, Granahan McCourt, were in the game and then the first two bidders withdrew. Obviously, had Eir stayed in the race and won the bid, it would have rolled it out side by side with or in place of its copper network. We were told there would be fibre to every home. That claim was repeatedly made by the Minister. The only change that has taken place of which I have heard is that the promise to bring fibre to every home has been dropped in recent months. My understanding for the past two years has been that if Eir was unsuccessful or did not stay in the race, whatever entity won the contract to roll out the scheme would rent the poles and ducting from Eir at a cost of approximately €900 million. Dr. Yardley seems to be indicating that Analysys Mason costed for a new network being built alongside the existing infrastructure. He referred to new poles and cables.