Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I will discuss local matters in County Wexford. I will happily put the rest of the reply on the record for the benefit of other Deputies.

The national broadband plan is seeking to accelerate the development of this scheme. It has been delayed somewhat, as I said in my previous reply, due to Covid. Part of the difficulty is that some contractors from the UK have not been able to come to Ireland and the ability to provide a safe environment in which people can carry out work is a challenge. There are extensive plans to accelerate the plan.

To bring it back to the Deputy's county, some 22,000 houses out of the 82,900 premises in Wexford are in an area which will be provided with high-speed broadband through State-led intervention. Over 3,745 of those premises have already been surveyed to date. That involves people mapping exactly which poles and infrastructure in local areas could be used. I could list a range of townlands which have been surveyed in that way.

Deputy Murphy will also be aware that part of the plan involves the development of broadband connection points as the first phase. That involves the fast-tracking of the delivery of services. In Wexford, five sites have been located: Hook Head Lighthouse; Ballyfad Community Centre; Askamore Community Childcare Centre; Marshalstown GAA Club; and St. Mary's GAA Club. Four have already been connected as part of the national broadband plan and will be connected by the retail service provider shortly.

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