Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

There were a number of questions to which the Taoiseach did not respond. I echo his remarks about the need for the national broadband plan. I do not think anyone wants anything other than for the plan to work, but the process has to be robust. I received a reply to a parliamentary question I tabled last November about the procurement process. It stated the process was still competitive because there were two strong operators in the telecoms field involved. In February I received another reply which stated there was still competitive tension because there were two strong competitors. There is now one bidder remaining and that bidder has changed completely since the process commenced. It has been so unstable it has morphed into something entirely different. How can the Taoiseach give any guarantee that it will still exist in six months or a year or that it will deliver? There are so many questions about the national broadband plan.

Care has to be taken that there is public confidence in how the process works. If the process is faulty, then the outcome is likely to be faulty as well.

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