Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is not for me to answer for Eir but it is my job to hold the Minister and his Department to account. It is time he and his Department engaged with Eir in a wholesome and proactive way to figure out what Eir is prepared to jettison and what he and his Department are prepared to accept is unnecessary when the potential savings to the State and taxpayer are considered.

It is also probably now a requirement that the Minister brings in external, independent advisers. It is unfair to ask Department officials and Government advisers to go back and effectively recheck their own work. If we are to be assured of protecting the taxpayer and the people who are waiting for broadband, it is now time to do what this House passed a motion to do 18 months ago when Eir withdrew following SIRO's withdrawal from the process. At that time, Fianna Fáil, with the affirmation of the House, asked the Government to bring in independent, external advisers for a short piece of work and the response of the Government and the then Minister, Deputy Naughten, was that it would delay the process. They wanted to keep going because that was what everybody said. We are now in a much worse position and there is a potential saving of €2 billion to the State. I accept that those lines may degrade but it is now a requirement for the Department and Minister's team to get to the bottom of that and do so in a proactive way. I have no doubt that is his intention, or I hope so.

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