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

On that last point, it was the lower-than-expected fit-out of the interim facility and not the new one. The Office of Public Works, OPW, took up more of the cost than we thought. It was not material to inflation.

On the first point, I am told that the increase is not due to inflation but is due to increased numbers. An example of that is that the target had been 185,000 houses by the end of 2023. We have already passed that target with two and a half months to go until the deadline. It is interesting to talk to other companies involved in similar large infrastructural projects, particularly telecoms projects. When you are dealing in hundreds of thousands of houses, once you get it down to a modular, standardised system, you can pick up the pace. The first year or two is always tricky as you iron out all the wrinkles. That is what is happening and that is why we are able to get to more houses. The demand is also higher than expected. There are some 60,000 additional houses involved. That helps. Everyone has an incentive. The national broadband company has a similar incentive. The more houses it can connect, the better it is for its business plan and the lower the cost for the State. It is a win-win situation. Going faster works for everyone.