Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Will the Minister accept that the State has already engaged with Eir regarding the commercial roll-out of high-speed broadband to 300,000 homes, businesses and farms dotted across semi-urban and rural areas? Will he accept that this was a success? Will he also accept that Eir is essentially stating that it is prepared to provide exactly the same service, as well as the same terms and conditions and the same quality of service, to the 542,000 homes, farms and businesses targeted under the broadband plan? Eir claims that it can deliver this for €1 billion.

We have had detailed engagement with the Department. It now seems that the necessary levels of scrutiny, oversight and controls require the taxpayer to spend another €2 billion to protect the €1 billion it will cost to roll out the service. On behalf of the taxpayer, it would be wrong of me not to question and interrogate that further.

Will the Minister give consideration to the notion that the issuance of a universal service obligation is, in essence, the best way to achieve value for money for the taxpayer, recognising the significant assets which exist in the State by at least two major players in infrastructure, namely, the ESB and Eir?

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