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

I will refer to the national broadband plan for moment. Mr. Moloney’s Department took a great interest in this. I have a letter here from the Department dated 16 April 2019. Last week, I raised with the Taoiseach the monitoring of this project, about which I have articulated my huge concerns. There was a single contractor and all of the other bidders backed out. I know the reasons for that because I heard some of them and they are clear at different stages. I do not get any pleasure out of saying this, but some of the chickens are coming home to roost, including, for example, with regards to the delay in the roll-out. Eir, a private company, has a fair amount of control over the pace at which this project moves because two or three years before the contract was signed, it was able to capture those households and premises that were easiest to serve. The project is now moving into more remote areas, as a cursory glance at the map of the national broadband scheme would tell us. I saw it first four years ago and raised it with the then Minister at the time.

We know the national broadband scheme is way behind schedule. My understanding is that 44,000 homes and premises had been passed in mid-April, whereas 115,000 were to have been passed by January. The first plan was revised because of the Covid lockdown. The second plan is being revised because of Covid, even though the telecommunications sector was not prohibited from working during the 2021 Covid restrictions at that time. However, another plan was then put in place and it too has since fallen behind. By mid-April, 44,000 homes had been passed. According to correspondence we received from the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications last week, it reckons the project is 12 or 13 months behind. It accepts that the company, National Broadband Ireland, NBI, has a case for a delay of eight and a half months. I raised this specifically with the Taoiseach last week. There is a variation and a gap here now. Penalties should apply. According to the letter from the Department, that is confirmed. I do not have the exact wording as I do not have the letter with me but that is my reading of it. I asked the Taoiseach to monitor this. Is Mr. Moloney aware of the issue and will his Department ensure that penalties are levied on NBI for failure to meet the targets? We are now on to the second revised plan, plan number three.