Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

I am trying to be helpful in this area, but I have raised this issue consistently since last July. The reason all of the phase I MANs are operating successfully and giving a good return to the State is that they are being managed properly by a management entity. As it happens that is eNet, but the company is irrelevant. It is giving a good return to the State on investment.

The management contract for MANs phase II was due to be finished by the end of last summer and the preferred bidder happened to be the same company that is managing MANs phase I, but that is largely irrelevant. Does the Minister agree the issue is the delay by Government to put in place a proper management contract for the 60 metropolitan area networks under phase II, which is preventing them from being managed properly and therefore used properly to give a return to the State at a time when we could do with sweating those assets and getting a significant return, which is feasible?

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