Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

In respect of An Post, that three-year decision for €10 million for each of the next three years is designed to maintain the network that is hugely important for social cohesion with great potential for the delivery of State services, which is one of the things An Post has looked to increase to increase the footfall in the post offices. There is also a real necessity for such a network at a time when other institutions around the country such as banks are closing. That whole banking finance model has changed.

An Post is seeing progress on the parcel post side and continuing decline in the letter post side. The real critical thing for us is to develop the other services, as well as providing €10 million, so we continue to have that network. The investment of €30 million, committed over three years, was a clear signal of intent from Government in that regard.

On the national broadband plan, everyone in this room will know more than anyone else how Covid delayed the plan by at least a year for a variety of reasons such as not being able to get contractors in and so on. In the last year we have seen that 12-month delay has started to close and is several months shorter from our original targets because roll-out is starting to pick up. We had a target for the end of January of 102,000 houses passed and I understand that 109,000 houses will actually be delivered, so the plan is ahead of what was projected this time last year. We will shortly connect the 30,000th customer using the fibre gigabyte-type services. Again, that service is ahead of projection. The uptake has been faster than originally proposed within the business case. A lot of the plans for broadband connection points, BCPs, particularly in digital hubs across the country are starting to work with the Town Centres First policy and people being able to remote work but having really fast services. That option is starting to be used as a business, economic and social service right across the country so it is working. Yes, we will try to continue that further acceleration. I do not have details on the legal issue concerning Eir and the ability of NBI to make its own connection. It is in everyone's to speed up the roll-out.

As we approach the full roll-out of rural broadband, strangely, the light will then turn to urban areas where they may still be black spots that do not benefit from the rural broadband scheme. Those spots are being closed because the likes of SIRO, Eir and Virgin Media are investing in fibre right across the country. In the international league tables we are going right up in terms of the speed and quality of our connectivity. The national broadband plan is working and working just at the right when coming out of Covid. Not everyone has to commute up to the big city every day.