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

The Deputy has to understand this is being done under state aid rules and that Eir or any other commercial operator was entitled to state it would deliver a service to a certain number of homes. It specified a figure of 300,000 homes, of which, 11,000 remain to be connected by Eir where it has committed to do so. That will be monitored, but we cannot force the pace. There are other cases which the Deputy may be describing in which Eir has not committed to providing a service, but it is frustrating. Again, they are in the intervention area. Unless Eir decides, on its own account, that it is in its commercial interests to deliver a service, they will remain in the area in which we will have to provide a service under state aid rules.

There is a final category of cases on which Eir has made a commitment that it will deliver a service, but it appears that it will not fulfil that commitment. My Department has conducted an exercise to identify such premises which are in the blue area. If some of the premises to which the Deputy is referring are in that area, I would be happy to receive the details of them. I will ask my Department to engage further with Eir on its plans to deliver a service to them. If it is not in a position to do so, we will have to consider including them in the intervention area which would be included in the contract. I am not sure whether the Deputy wants to see it brought forward or delayed. I was confused at the end about what he wanted-----

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