Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Carey for raising these issues. With regard to the local improvement scheme, the Deputy is correct that there is a huge backlog in terms of the lanes that have to be funded and repaired through the local authorities. I know from my county that there could be a waiting list of ten years, and it is the same across the country. In 2017, my predecessor, Deputy Ring, reopened the local improvement scheme and it has received funding of just over €68 million since then. I was keen to try to increase the funding again. Basically, the LIS is about repairing roads. The Deputy is absolutely correct that the Department of Transport has a role in this as well. I have written to my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, regarding the issue of funding and I have been speaking to him about it. I will certainly raise it with him again. If the Department of Transport could contribute some funding in this area, it would mean we could try to get some of the long lists dealt with. Nobody knows better than us and members of this committee the importance of access to farms across the length and breadth of the country. A lot of transport is needed to collect milk, deliver meal and so forth, so it is important that these roads are in good shape.

We need that investment. I will certainly take this from the committee and go back to my colleague, the Minister for Transport, with whom I had very positive discussions. We must see the money, which is most important.

I thank the Deputy for raising the question of hubs. As the committee knows, we are rolling out broadband connection points and we now have 300 sites throughout the country located in some of the most rural communities, including the islands off Donegal, Mayo, Galway and Cork. The broadband connection points initiative was established to ensure remote areas, particularly those likely to wait longest for broadband connections, would be provided with some access to high-speed broadband while waiting for the national broadband plan roll-out to reach them.

The national connected hubs network was launched by me on 31 May and we are funding the Western Development Commission to help us with setting up an app. We currently have a website and we want to produce an app to widen the functionality. It is for the providers and users of hubs so that spaces can be booked whenever needed on an app. We want to get providers signed up and 66 hubs are currently fully signed up. We have a target of 100 to be signed up by the end of 2021. It is hoped that up to 400 hubs may be engaged over time. We recently launched the €5 million connected hubs call under the town and village renewal scheme, which will further enhance a remote working offering. That will bring benefits to people and communities throughout Ireland.

On the rolling out of the national broadband plan, the Government is absolutely committed to speeding up the process. It was meant to proceed over seven years and we are hoping to bring that down to five years. There is no doubt it is a mammoth task. I said before to this committee that the amount of cable required to connect to premises across this country would go around the globe four times. Nobody knows this better than the Chairman. There is no doubt it is a big job. When Deputy Naughten was involved as the Minister in that space, he and I set up the broadband officers and they have been a vital resource in helping to progress much of this at a local level. They have identified the broadband connection points.

There is no doubt we are all working together on this. Covid-19 has led to some elements falling behind a bit but nevertheless there is a commitment and I and everybody else in the Government wants to see the roll-out of the national broadband plan as quickly as possible. Having said that, there are many private operators entering the market, which is also helpful. I thank the Deputy for the questions.