Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is my first time to answer parliamentary questions in my new brief. I look forward to working with Deputies Dooley, Stanley and others from different parties.

The national broadband plan is ambitious. Its objective is to ensure access to a future-proofed, high-speed broadband service, with a minimum download speed of 30 Mbps available to every premises in Ireland. The plan involves a mix of commercial investment and a State-led intervention. It has acted as a catalyst in encouraging a significant level of investment in high-speed broadband infrastructure by commercial operators, with the result that the number of premises with access to a high-speed broadband service has increased from 700,000 in 2012 to 1.7 million today.

The procurement process for the State-led intervention has been framed in such a way as to ensure a once-off intervention in an area that covers 96% of the landmass of Ireland. While the intervention area is predominantly focused on premises in rural areas, it also incudes a significant number of premises in urban areas where commercial operators have no plans to invest. The procurement process to award a contract for the State intervention network is at the final stage. The final assessment of the bid received on 18 September must conclude with regard to whether the solution proposed by the bidder meets the requirements of the plan in terms of the robustness of the technology, value for money, the allocation of risk and appropriate governance mechanisms to ensure this significant intervention by the State will satisfy the Government's policy to ensure high-speed broadband is available to every premises in the country. My priority is to bring the procurement process to a fair and impartial conclusion as quickly as possible.  My Department is concluding its assessment of the final tender submission received from the bidder on 18 September. I will bring a recommendation to the Government in the coming weeks.

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