Professor Eoin Reeves:

On the Deputy's final point regarding an appointment without a competitive tender, that would involve serious state aid issues. My understanding is that if the ESB were to be brought in, that would have to be under competitive conditions. On the feasibility of using the ESB, I understand from the deliberations of the committee that there are issues regarding the viability of using the ESB's infrastructure. I will not get into the details, which have previously been discussed. Ideally, the State should lever the network infrastructure of the companies it owns, such as the ESB, Ervia and so on. I wish it were possible to turn back the clock and that the Government had run with the original option to build a national broadband company as stated in the NewERA plan published in the run-up to the 2011 general election. However, that ship has sailed.