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

About two years ago, after the general election of February 2016 there were many talks about different policy issues. The Independents were talking with various parties and we met with the officials in the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Naughten's Department, to discuss the roll-out of broadband. That followed a general election in which Fine Gael made a commitment that broadband would be rolled out all over the country by 2021. I asked the officials not to promise something they could not deliver, but of course they proceeded to say that broadband would be rolled out by 2021. The tender document was to issue that autumn. The latest news is that it will be early 2018. There is no timeline for the award of the contract for bringing broadband to houses and businesses across the country. We are still in the procurement phase. Meanwhile, across the country businesses, SMEs and households are finding it impossible to grow. It is a huge hindrance to them and an inhibitor in terms of the capacity of business already in the regions of rural Ireland to grow and develop and indeed to attracting new business and investment into rural and regional Ireland. It really is farcical at this stage. I would like to know, in line with the programme for Government, when the procurement phase will end and when we can realistically have the extension of broadband by the State to homes and businesses across the country.

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