Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)

So it is 28 months to the full completion. Could the Minister give me a figure on how much the consultancy will cost? Has the Minister examined planning applications and permissions to see if there is any danger of delays? I am concerned about the old chestnut of mobile broadband where a rural business comes under this scheme but there are complaints about the efficiency of mobile broadband. What are the Minister's intentions about meeting the needs of the 20,000 households that will still be outside the scheme when it is completed?

The Minister probably saw the Economist Intelligence Unit's annual ranking of e-readiness and I note that Ireland has improved somewhat, essentially because of the recession. However, when one examines the detail of the analysis it appears the Government has held us back in terms of a lack of strategic approach whereas business appears to be more e-ready than we are here.

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