Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is at large.

The programme for Government from last year stated:

The tender process for the National Broadband Plan is currently underway and will influence the contract’s terms and conditions. Following the completion of the tender process and the awarding of the contract, targeted for June 2017, the new Government will work with the winners to accelerate the roll out of the infrastructure next year.

It is now July 2017. There are still 542,000 rural homes and businesses without high-speed broadband. It is a complete shambles. No one is clear about the pathway to proper access to broadband across Ireland and people are in despair and have no sense of there being any capacity on the Government's part to deliver this. This will cost jobs in SMEs across rural areas and makes existing jobs difficult to retain.

Recently, Deputy Michael Moynihan and I visited Kanturk and met a company, Avonmore electrical, and North Cork Creameries and listened to how they attempt to cope in the absence of high-speed broadband. It reflects on their incredible professionalism and commitment but it speaks very badly of the State and its capacity to roll out a basic tender. Could the Taoiseach explain why the Government's commitment on broadband has not been delivered? Can he explain the delay? When can the homes and businesses across Ireland expect to get access to high-speed quality broadband.

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