Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I ask the Minister of State to confirm again when the tender contract will be signed. Given that the contract has yet to be signed, I suggest that the Minister of State and the Minister work to ensure that local companies and local tradespeople are involved in the roll-out of the project to provide employment opportunities.

If this is done properly - I always add that caveat, as we are still sceptical - it will represent a major infrastructural investment in many communities across the country. That investment should be aligned with employment opportunities for locally based companies. In designing the contract over the next few months and then rolling it out, will the Minister of State in his roles in the Departments of Communications, Climate Action and Environment and Rural and Community Affairs try to ensure that small businesses located in rural areas get a part of it and an opportunity to deliver services in their areas as opposed to what normally happens, that being, large outside contractors - sometimes, they are not on the island - taking all the work with no local return?

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