Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Yes, sanctioned this morning by the Cabinet. That is for 2016. The national economic discourse will take place on 24 or 25 June in Dublin Castle, hosted by the Ministers for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform, and with a full debate here as well. The preparation for the 2017 Estimates and the budget for 2017 will commence after the Estimates have been signed off for 2016 and voted through the House.

Second, on the question Deputy Howlin raised about broadband with respect to the two Ministers, he is quite correct. The position is that the management of the tender and the contract for the State to supply broadband services throughout the country is the responsibility of the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, and will remain the responsibility of that Minister. When the contract has been awarded, the emphasis shifts to the Minister for regional and rural affairs, who will have responsibility for the roll-out of task forces in each local authority to make that happen. The responsibility for the contract, the tender and all of that work lies with the Minister for communications, while the roll-out of the contract and the task forces in each local authority area will be the responsibility of the Minister for regional and rural affairs.

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