Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I agree with him on the importance of broadband infrastructure. He was correct in that, when we traditionally spoke about infrastructure, we meant physical infrastructure like roads and other big-ticket infrastructure that was important to a modern economy. Now, though, we must speak of the digital infrastructure. Broadband is at the centre of that. The Deputy was right to lay emphasis on the necessary digital infrastructure for our economy.

The Government's national broadband plan is delivering high-speed broadband to every citizen and business in Ireland. This is being achieved through a combination of commercial investment by telecoms operators and a proposed State intervention where the commercial sector will not invest. The high-speed broadband map that I published last year provides detailed information on commercial investment areas and the proposed intervention area. It covers more than 50,000 townlands in every county, including Kildare.

I understand that high-speed broadband services have been rolled out to more than 55,000 premises in County Kildare to date, with more than 12,500 more expected to be served by commercial investment by the end of 2016. Approximately 20,500 remaining premises in Kildare will either be covered by further commercial investment or will be targets for proposed State intervention.

Ireland's proposed broadband intervention strategy, which I published on 15 July, sets out a series of detailed proposals by the Government in respect of the proposed State intervention. Some 41 submissions have been received arising from the recent public consultation on the draft intervention strategy. These are being carefully considered with a view to finalising the strategy by the end of this year, as the Deputy mentioned. A detailed procurement process will then be undertaken in order to select a potential bidder or bidders in line with all EU and national legislative requirements.

The Government is determined to ensure that the network is built out as quickly as possible, and engagement with industry stakeholders has indicated that this could be delivered within three to five years of the contract's award. Following this process, 85% of premises in Ireland will have access to high-speed services by 2018, with the balance having services by 2020.

I assure the Deputy that I am alive to the issues that he has raised. However, it is too soon to say precisely how the announcements by eir and other operators this year will impact on the cost to the State of funding our intended intervention. Detailed examination and analysis of all commercial proposals are continuing. I expect to be in a position to make a final decision on them by December, when I intend to publish a revised national high-speed broadband coverage map showing commercial investment out to 2020 and a potentially revised intervention area.

The detailed scrutiny that the Deputy would expect us to apply to all commercial plans and undertakings is ongoing and is quickly nearing a conclusion. By the end of this year, we will be in a position to make our announcements and proceed to procurement.

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