Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge that the procurement process that was entered into long before my time as Minister is a very complex process. Knowing what I know today, would I have gone down this road if I were Minister? I do not think so. However, we are where we are.

I will explicitly put on the record that I am working might and main to deliver broadband to every single home and premises throughout Ireland. I will not rest until every single premises the length and breadth of this country has access to high-speed broadband. As the Deputy knows, as a rural Deputy I am acutely aware of the frustration and anger that is felt by people who are so close to broadband but cannot get it - people who need it for their businesses, for education purposes or just to be able to do the day-to-day things in life. This is why, as a rural Deputy, I am determined to ensure we put pressure on to ensure this happens as quickly as possible. I give a commitment to the House that not one day later than is absolutely necessary will every single person in this country get access to high-speed broadband. These families across rural Ireland and their businesses are my focus and I am personally committed to deliver broadband to every single door under the national broadband plan. We are now in the final stages of this procurement process. The national broadband plan is a Government priority and will deliver high-speed broadband to every single citizen and business throughout this country. Our ambition is to achieve 100% coverage of high-speed broadband across Ireland through a combination of accelerated investment by the commercial telecoms companies - they are spending approximately €2 million a day on this - and a State intervention for those parts of the country where there is no certainty that commercial operators will provide a service. The Government's national broadband plan has been very successful in encouraging increased levels of investment by the telecoms sector. When I was appointed Minister just 19 months ago, 52% of premises in Ireland had access to high-speed broadband. Today that figure is over 71%, and by the end of this year it will be 77%. Every single week 300 farms are getting access to up to 1,000 Mbps high-speed broadband. With commercial investment and the Government's national broadband plan, this will rise to more than 90% of premises having access to high-speed broadband by 2020.

Regarding County Laois, my Department's high-speed broadband map, which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie, details where commercial operators will provide a high-speed broadband service and where State intervention will be required. This map has identified approximately 39,000 premises in Laois, of which more than 26,400 will receive high-speed broadband from the commercial sector. This includes 5,200 premises that will be covered by Eir's planned deployment. The remaining 12,600 premises will be covered by the State intervention. Deputy Stanley is right that there are thousands of rural premises right across Laois, Offaly, Westmeath, Roscommon and Galway that need access to high-speed broadband, but this is happening at present. We have seen that the town of Portarlington, Ballybrittas and Crettyard have already got high-speed broadband through the Eir intervention. Portlaoise, Durrow, Mountrath, Rathdowney, Ballylynan, Ballickmoyler, Ballyroan, Abbeyleix, Mountmellick, Borris-in-Ossory, Rosenallis, the Heath, Arless, Ballinakill, Ballintubbert, Ballyfin and Cullahill will have 1,000 Mbps high-speed broadband by the end of this year. The fastest possible broadband available anywhere in the world will be available in these villages and the vast majority of villages across rural Ireland. My determination is to build on that network to provide hot desks in the short term in these communities in order that people do not have to commute to the bigger towns and cities and, by 2020, to see access to high-speed broadband provided to the vast bulk of rural Ireland outside their door.

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