Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Finally, will Mr. Hendrick nail it on the head that there are no downsides for the taxpayer in terms of costs with the NBI contract, at €2.6 billion? It is a huge amount of money, but if it is rolled out successfully the benefits will be enormous in terms of people getting access to broadband fibre whether they are in Dublin, Tokyo or rural County Limerick. We saw during Covid-19 that we can operate from home, but we need broadband of a high calibre nature. There may be some upside. It is a €2.6 billion fixed contract. If the costs go up, NBI is taking the risk. If there is a reduction in the cost of materials, there could be a rebate to the taxpayer. Will Mr. Hendrick nail that on the head, because obviously NBI hears speculation, but there is an opportunity here in a public forum to give absolute clarity and state categorically that there is no downside in terms of risk for the taxpayer in terms of cost, only a possible upside?