Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

The provision of broadband services is, in the first instance, a matter for the private sector. Broadband service providers operate in a fully liberalised market, regulated by the independent Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg. The widespread provision of broadband services continues to be a priority for the Government. In that regard, my Department has undertaken initiatives to address the gaps in broadband coverage. These include investment in metropolitan area networks, MANs, the concluded group broadband scheme, GBS, and the recently announced national broadband scheme, NBS.

An indicative €435 million of Exchequer funds has been provided for the communications and broadband programme in the national development plan. To date, €35 million has been spent on broadband initiatives during 2007, including phase II of the metropolitan area networks programme and national broadband scheme. It is anticipated that the full €435 million will be fully utilised over the lifetime of the NDP. It is not possible at this stage to give a detailed breakdown of the approximately €400 million that remains to be allocated over the period of the plan. Some of this allocation will be expended in the NBS and commitments under phase II of the MANs programme.

In the recent 2008 budget, provision was made of €53.634 million in my Department's Vote for the information and communications technology programme. This allocation will be used in 2008 to fund MANs and NBS projects, as well as other information and communications technology programme initiatives. As the NBS is going through a tendering process, I am not in a position at this time to give details of the breakdown of funding.

A value for money and policy review of phase I of the MANs programme will be completed and published in January 2008. In the circumstances, I consider it prudent that further contracts for the construction of new MANs networks should not be signed until I have had an opportunity to consider and assess the implications of the value for money report and the outcome of the consultation on the next generation broadband policy paper.

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