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

Okay, we will request it. It would be useful to have it along with the letter before they appear before the committee. Thank you for that. We will note and publish it.

No. R2573 B is from Ms Stephanie Redmond, private secretary to the Secretary General of the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. It is dated 30 April 2024 and provides a Q1 update to the committee on the digital connectivity strategy. It is proposed to note and publish this item. Is that agreed? Agreed.

We have raised issues around this a number of times. There is an update in relation to the broadband plan. Delay sanctions totalling €2.1 million were imposed. A performance credit sanction of €52,000 has also been applied under the key performance indicator regime. While it seems progress is being made with the broadband plan, unfortunately, a lot of questions will come up around this because of the design and the type of contract that it is. There is also the involvement of other companies and the fact there are two commercial entities involved. There is the investor and infrastructure belonging to another private company being used and there is a range of private sub-contractors. This is a issue we might revert to later in the year. We have not examined the broadband plan in a long time. I cannot remember when those with responsibility for it were before the committee last. It must have been at least a year and a half or so since they were in along with the Department. It would be worthwhile to schedule a meeting later in the year.