Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 10 February 2022

Public Accounts Committee

2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
National Broadband Plan Expenditure and Related Matters

9:30 am

Mr. Peter Hendrick:

When the contract became effective in January 2020, there were 537,000 premises. Today there are 554,000 premises. Even though the number of premises is going up, there is no additional subsidy allocated. We are still required to deliver the project within that subsidy envelope. On average, we estimate it is just over €2,000 to pass a home. Obviously, there is a subsidy associated. That is just building the infrastructure putting the cable on the poles or under the ground to pass the home. Then there is a cost in connecting homes. The cost in connecting homes can be an average of €2,000.