Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We have made significant progress in the past three years in providing high-speed broadband across the country. When this Government took office, only approximately half the premises in Ireland - homes, businesses and farms - had access to high-speed broadband. That figure now stands at approximately 80%, so significant of progress has been made. The Government has worked with the private sector to deliver that. However, that still means approximately 500,000 households, businesses and farms, mainly in rural Ireland but some in urban Ireland, do not have access to high-speed broadband. For the 20% without access, it is all the more annoying and frustrating and it will become a greater problem into the future as so much commerce and so many public services and workplaces go online and take advantage of these technologies.

The national broadband programme has changed significantly in recent years due to the development of technologies and the fact that the private sector has provided broadband in large numbers of areas, including parts of rural Ireland that would have been the more profitable parts of the national broadband plan, NBP, while other factors that have driven up the cost over the years. As things stand, there is one remaining bidder. That bidder has not yet been designated by the Government as the preferred bidder and some due diligence is still ongoing in regard to the tender. We have received the tender.

As the Deputy pointed out, the cost is many multiples of the original estimate. However, it is a very different situation from the national children's hospital, for example, as we have not yet taken the decision to designate the remaining bidder as the preferred bidder nor have we signed any contracts for the project. That decision is yet to be made and we want it to be very transparent. It cannot be made at this stage because due diligence is still being carried out. An international review panel is assessing the cost-benefit analysis and making sure the project makes sense in that regard, while it is also being examined by consultants in regard to deliverability. In addition, some work needs to be done by the Government and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

As the project will be much more expensive than anticipated, we must consider how the public finances can bear that. Obviously, the events of the next couple of weeks will tell a story in regard as to where we will stand in terms of the public finances.

On the more recent announcements, it is welcome that Eir will upgrade fibre in our cities and towns, bringing fibre to many more homes. However, that will not impact on the NBP because the Eir investment is only in towns and cities. The service being offered by Imagine is also welcome but it is wireless broadband and not fibre to the home. We again do not anticipate that it will impact on the intervention area.

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