Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is correct that Eir cannot re-enter the current procurement process. The problem is that the current procurement process has run into the sand by any objective measure. The Minister is now entering into a cul-de-sac. He is going to end up in the situation depicted in the diagram of the governance structure prepared by his Departmental officials. That is not going to work. It can be seen that sharks are lined up to take a bite. It will also be the case that National Broadband Ireland, NBI, will finish up with a board of nine people. This House, and ultimately the taxpayers, will be responsible for lobbing in almost €3 billion in cash. The people putting in €200 million will occupy eight positions on the NBI board. People who have sat on committees never mind the board of a company will know that they are completely outmanoeuvred at that stage.

The Minister referred to checks, controls and balances and protecting the taxpayer. There is little or no protection in the structure into which the Minister is entering. I state that sincerely. I do not mean that to be in any way derogatory. That is a definite cul-de-sac that the State and the taxpayer will be getting involved in, however. Officials from the Department, as well as successive Ministers, have told me that we had to allow Eir to cherry-pick these 340,000 and then 300,000 premises. The first time I saw that map I realised, as would anyone with a bit of common sense, that Eir was doughnutting the clusters and the villages. That is what it has to done. Was it put to the European Commission that this action was going to banjax the process?

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