Mr. Denis O'Leary:

As already stated, it is two years since we exited the process. I know from media reports and so on that the process has changed somewhat in the interim in the context of the subsidy, the size of the intervention area and some of the commercial issues that were in the contract. What we worked on two years ago is different to what I understand is there now.

I am loath to comment on the bids of the two companies because I do not know what is there as regards project delivery. There seems to be some confusion as to whether we are talking about the total project or the main fibre running along the side of the road or the fibre running along the side of the road plus electronics and all the equipment needed to run the fibre. Are we talking about all the maintenance costs or the drop cost to all these customers? I do not know what is included in the €1 billion in terms of the figures quoted yesterday.

The Chairman asked whether the ESB or SIRO could deliver the project with a subsidy of €1 billion. Based on the work that we had done by 2017, the answer is that the ESB would not have been able to deliver the project for a €1 billion subsidy.