Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan. I am not complaining about answering questions; it is my job. I have been asked about Cork North-Central in the past and the more the Deputy asks those questions, the more things are likely to happen in a faster way in that area. The Deputy is right to do it.

There are over 276,000 premises in County Cork, of which over 80,000 are within the national broadband plan intervention area. Government will invest in the order of €314 million to bring those premises up to high speed broadband.

I am advised by National Broadband Ireland that, as of 27 October 2021, almost 26,000 premises in County Cork have been surveyed. In total, over 272,000 premises in the intervention area across all counties have been surveyed, with over 115,000 premises under construction across 30 deployment areas. Retail service providers are actively selling on the NBI network with over 30,000 premises available to order and pre-order in counties Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Galway, Kerry, Limerick, Monaghan, Roscommon, Tipperary and Wicklow. This includes over 4,500 premises in County Cork.

NBI's fibre network architecture is centred around existing Open Eir exchanges and the State-owned metropolitan area networks. This strategy is based on engineering design principles that allows every premises to be passed as quickly and as efficiently as possible. The fibre network is divided up into 227 deployment areas, DA. Each deployment area is centred around existing regional or local exchanges. The areas referred to in the questions are covered by a number of different deployment areas and, therefore, the timescale for premises being passed by the new high speed broadband network will vary.

Surveys are complete in County Cork in the deployment areas of Carrigaline, Midleton, Youghal, Templemartin and Tallow. Main build work is currently under way in Midleton and Youghal and is complete in Carrigaline. I am advised that premises will be available for connection in the Midleton deployment area in the first half of 2022. This covers the areas of North Esk, Carbeytown and Rougrane. Further details are available on specific areas within County Cork through the NBI website which provides a facility for people living within the intervention area to register their interest in being provided with deployment updates at www.nbi.ie.

Broadband connection points, BCPs, are a key element of the NBP. As of 27 October, 386 BCP sites have been installed by NBI.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

The high speed broadband service will be switched on in these locations through service provider contracts managed by the Department of Rural and Community Development for publicly accessible sites and the Department of Education for school BCPs.

BCPs are installed in County Cork at Ballydaly Community Hall, Aubane Community Centre, Mealagh Valley Community Centre, Courtbrack Community Centre, Laharn Heritage Centre, Ballindangan Community Centre, Clogagh Community Hall, Aghabullogue Community Centre, Castletownkenneigh Community Centre, The Old Schoolhouse, Bere Island Heritage Centre, Coláiste Phobal Cléire, Lissavard Community Centre, Whitechurch Community Centre, Glash Community Centre, T.O. Park Labbamollaga and Sherkin Island Community Hall.

Templebrady National School, Ballycroneen National School, Clogagh National School, Educate Together Carrigaline, Ringaskiddy Lower Harbour National School, Scoil Naomh Fionán na Reanna, Ballygarvan National School and Shanbally National School have been installed by NBI for educational access. My Department continues to work with the Department of Education to prioritise schools with no high speed broadband within the intervention area for connection over the term of the NBP. In this regard, an acceleration of this aspect of the national broadband plan announced in December will see some 679 primary schools connected to high speed and by 2022, well ahead of the original target delivery timeframe of 2026.

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