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. T.J. Malone:

It is not that it is only arising now. On 1 October, we agreed with Eir to increase our capacity to just more than double. We had initially contracted with it for 22,500 poles per annum. To catch up and get ahead of ourselves, we have contracted to double that capacity. Although we are only just more than six months behind, we want to double it to give ourselves a chance to build contingency back into the programme. We are virtually doubling the capacity that Eir originally committed to, from 22,000 or 24,000 poles per annum, to just shy of 50,000 poles.