Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Thursday, 28 March 2019
Public Accounts Committee
2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Broadband Service Provision: Discussion (Resumed)
9:00 am
Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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Indeed. On 27 February, the Taoiseach said in the Dáil that the cost of the national broadband scheme would be "many multiples" of what was originally anticipated. He indicated, as Mr. Griffin did in his opening statement, that he expected the decision would be made before Easter. The original indication in 2012 was that €355 million to €512 million would be the spread of anticipated expenditure. That was to connect 800,000 homes and premises generally. The Taoiseach has indicated it will be many multiples of those costs and we are now talking about 540,000 homes and premises. Will Mr. Griffin shed some light on that?