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

The Deputy is correct. The reason we are looking to accelerate and explore the national broadband operators is because the Covid pandemic showed the importance of remote working and the urgency of us providing that at this time.

We are considering accelerating aspects of the plan. It has been scheduled, after several years of preparation, to be a six and seven year process. Those discussions are very serious and have been committed to on the basis of us wanting to see the project accelerated. It requires detailed technical, commercial and financial analysis. If it was easy in the first place, it would not have been set out as a six or seven year contract.

It will require a lot of analysis to accelerate any elements of it. I will not promise that until we know that it can be delivered in real time. The Covid pandemic has created difficulties in terms of getting access to contractors who would do the actual work. It brings the imperative to accelerate but also difficulties in that regard at the same time.

See this speech in context