Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Cabinet committees are not the Government. Cabinet sub-committees have an important role in bringing in Ministers or agencies to progress matters through to a point where they can be sent to Cabinet for decision by Government. I will let nobody run away with the idea that Cabinet sub-committees make a stream of decisions. It is the Government that actually decides on recommendations or propositions that come through Cabinet sub-committees.

The Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality was not made aware of the figures referred to by Deputy Martin on the fixed charges and the mandatory alcohol testing until 23 March, which was very recent. The Government responded immediately in respect of these issues and the Government would have finalised its position except that I wanted Members to have access to the second Fennelly report when it could be published. I hope that will be in the near future once the Attorney General authorises me as the receiving Minister to do so. At that point everybody can include his or her reflections on that in the context of the overall analysis of what we have to do for policing and the structure and role of the Garda for the time ahead.

I take Deputy Micheál Martin's point about mental health. We did have a meeting about that with one of his spokespersons. I have asked the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, to respond. I will follow up on that for the Deputy.

In respect of broadband, there have been many hundreds of hours put together by officials from the Department with the companies involved in the drafting of the tender. Two years ago, the number of high-speed broadband connections stood at 566,000. It will be 300,000 higher than that.

In 2016, the figure represented only 52% of premises. Traditional private sector investment by end 2018 is expected to increase to 77%.

The Minister has agreed that the map for the State intervention should be revised to reflect the fact that he has accepted a commitment by eir to build a high-speed broadband network to cover an additional 300,000 premises in rural Ireland by the end of 2018, with penalties built it should it not do so. This project will be undertaken on a fully commercial basis, with the commitment underpinned by a formal agreement. Also, 84,500 premises previously identified as being in the commercial area are being taken back into the State intervention area of the high-speed broadband map as plans by commercial operators to provide services to these premises did not materialise. It is intended to finalise the map at 542,000 premises for the remainder of the procurement process. In addition, eir has signed an agreement with the Minister to provide access to high-speed broadband to 300,000 additional premises by the end of 2018. This is a binding contract with detailed quarterly milestones to be published. If eir does not deliver fully, premises will be brought back into the intervention area and will be delivered under the Government contract with eir compensating the Minister in respect of the costs involved.

The evidence suggests that the Government's commitment has acted as a catalyst in encouraging accelerated investment by commercial operators.

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