Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

I support the points made by Deputy McManus. I am reading the list of amendments, some of which relate to the role of the NRA versus the role of a local authority. For national roads, a telecommunications company should apply to the NRA if it wants to dig up the road or use an existing duct. If it is a regional or local road it has to go through the local authority and there is a procedure in place.

We are legislating for the NRA to charge for the use of ducting on national roads. That is fine. Is there any legal provision in this legislation to allow a local authority to charge for the use of local authority owned ducting or is it the same as applies to the NRA? If, for example, a company such as BT wants to roll out fibre to homes and wants to use ducting on a national road from Dublin, it deals with the NRA. If it then goes off the national road onto a regional local road that is the responsibility of Kildare County Council or some other local authority. Is there ducting infrastructure along local or regional roads that is the responsibility of local authorities? If not there should be in the future because when building roads, ducting should be put in place when it is appropriate. Can local authorities charge for the use of ducting infrastructure so people do not have to put in new ducting if there is an existing facility? Hopefully at some time in the future we will open access to Eircom ducting through regulation. If there is local authority-owned ducting, as there should be in some parts of the country, does this legislation allow local authorities to put deals in place with telecommunications companies when they need to use ducting along local roads? If so, did the Minister look at giving the NRA the capacity to deal with telecommunications companies for local and regional roads as well as national roads, where appropriate, in consultation with local authorities?

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