Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I ask the Minister to request that service when he speaks to Eir. A similar service is available with other organisations such as the ESB and is very helpful for Members in making representations. I ask the Minister to facilitate that dedicated line with Eir such that Members of this House can represent their constituents and find out what the problem is, unlike the situation I have raised whereby I received no response for a month and the response then received was negative.

Is the Minister worried that there is only one bidder left for the contract to roll out the national broadband plan? We started off with three or four, which became two and then, eventually, one. In terms of competition, is the Minister satisfied that the remaining bidder will be able to provide the service he envisages according to the timescale he has set out? Is 2020-21 still the date for the roll-out of that broadband? Will the Minister stick to that target or will it be pushed out in six months' time, as has happened before?

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