Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

I would appreciate it if the Minister could stick to the question, which is specifically about the metropolitan area networks phase II. We can have the debate on some of the other issues the Minister raised on another day.

My concern here is that in July last the Department chose a preferred bidder to manage MANs phase 11. Some 58 metropolitan area networks under phase II are completed. It has cost the State approximately €80 million to provide that infrastructure. The Minister tells us, because it is convenient for him, that he cannot tell us the revenue he is getting from that €80 million of expenditure on the 58 MANs that are waiting to be lit up and add backbone to the broadband infrastructure across the country.

The reason the vast majority of them are not being used at all is that we do not have an entity managing this infrastructure on behalf of the State. I asked the Minister last November why his Department had not signed a management contract to allow the preferred bidder — or somebody else, I do not mind — to manage that infrastructure on behalf of the State.

MANs phase I is bringing in a great deal of money to the Government in terms of usage. The MANs phase I are being used by all broadband providers in Ireland with the exception of one or two, yet MANs phase II, at a cost of €80 million, is not being used at all. The MANs phase II are not being managed properly because the Minister and his Department are delaying putting a management contract in place. Why is that delay continuing?

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