Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Okay. We will seek that specific piece of information regarding gross remuneration. The other two proposals are to request a progress report by the end of September 2022 on each of the changes to the appropriation accounts proposed by the committee and include the matter on the agenda for our meeting with officials from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on 19 May. Is that agreed? Agreed.

No. 1139B is correspondence from Mr. Mark Griffin, Secretary General, Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, dated 21 March 2022, providing follow-up information requested by the committee arising from our meeting with the Department on 10 February 2022. It includes information on the Department’s expenditure on external advisory services relating to the national broadband plan, which amounts to in excess of €16 million since 2020, and a short note on what the Department is doing to decrease its reliance on such services. We also address this in our report on the Department’s 2019 and 2020 accounts, which we will publish next week. It is proposed to note and publish this correspondence.

Deputy Murphy and I wanted to raise this matter. In reading this correspondence before the meeting, I noted that Analysys Mason received €6.852 million, Ernst and Young received €8.251 million and William Fry received €1.3 million. The Department sets out 28,309 interactions in total with the National Broadband Ireland contact centre and outlines the level of work. The note in the correspondence relating to efforts to try to move away from that does not tell us an awful lot. I wonder whether more details can be given.

On the rent and fees paid to other companies by National Broadband Ireland, despite the fact it is year one, there is already a €9.4 million outlay relating to the rental of poles and ducts. That is one we need to keep an eye on in the years ahead as the roll-out of the plan accelerates. It was at a very early stage last year and was only barely starting. That figure will be substantial and the committee needs to keep a watching brief on it. Deputy Murphy wanted to speak on this as well.