Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That provides clarity.

To move on to the discussion we had with Eir, I am sure ComReg will be familiar from media reports with its comments. The delegates may also be familiar with the position taken by the former chief executive, Mr. Moat, in his communications. He indicated that the process had become overly cumbersome, complex and burdensome. Based on what Eir told us, it would have required the company to set up separate structures, for oversight and so on, which would have added greatly to the cost of providing the service. Eir indicated to us that if many of the regulatory obligations required to be met by bidders were to be stripped away to create a level playing pitch on which everyone would be able to compete, it could deliver broadband for less than €1 billion, while the State was looking at spending upwards of €3 billion on the preferred bidder's proposal. Obviously, we are burdened in getting to the bottom of the matter and have to interrogate it to the greatest extent possible. We have to provide high speed broadband for the people who want it as quickly as possible, but we have to do so in a judicious and cost-effective way. Does the delegation have any comment to make on what Eir has stated about the procurement process and the overly burdensome requirements it believes are adding to the cost? Will the delegates share their thoughts from a regulatory point of view?