Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputies for their contributions throughout what has been a very important process, not just the statements in the last hour or so but the questions and answers with the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, prior to that. I thank the House on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, for the invitation to address the House on the roll-out of the national broadband plan and for the views expressed by the various Members throughout this discussion on the matter, which is one of absolute national importance.

The Minister of State's earlier contribution made a reference that I have made myself on a number of occasions, and many in this House have also acknowledged that the scale of what we are doing here has never been reached in terms of infrastructure roll-out since the electrification of Ireland. There are a lot of good analogies in that space. Obviously, it is a mammoth undertaking and, in that regard, it was always going to face challenges, some of them unforeseen, such as Covid, which I will touch on shortly regarding the steps that are being taken to respond to that. In terms of the net benefit for companies, individuals, farms, schools and all the other premises that have been connected, during the electrification of Ireland at that time, people thought that was simply to bring light into a house and no one could ever have envisaged all the different uses and different appliances we would end up plugging in and using electricity for now.

Similarly, we cannot even envisage the myriad uses there will be for a high-speed network and the smart lives we will be able to live in our homes in the future. That is why this is the right thing to do. Questions have been raised about the cost of this. Fine Gael was criticised in the previous Government for driving on with this. We have been vindicated by the fact the overall NBP is critical. It is the right thing to do. It is a very ambitious approach by this Government and the previous Government to be world leaders in the reach we will have throughout our country.

As the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, said earlier, I confirm to the House the NBP remains a top priority of the Government for those reasons. At the centre of this plan is the delivery of high-speed broadband for the citizens of Ireland, both from a value for money and a delivery of critical infrastructure perspective. It is a vital utility necessary for the continued economic and social development of our country. Balanced regional development is so important to us. That is why no home has been left behind and everybody in all parts will be covered, both urban and rural, and those in between on the edges of places who do not have that access. We will not have any digital divide in this country because of the NBP. That is an important result that will be achieved by the end of this.

It is clear from the contributions Deputies have made today that this House shares the Government's strong desire to ensure high-speed broadband and a future-proofed network are delivered throughout Ireland as soon as possible. While substantial progress has been made to date, complications such as Covid have impacted on the delivery of the fibre network, resulting in delays to the delivery of aspects of the programme.

The Department of Environment, Climate and Communications has worked closely with NBI to put in place a remedial plan under the contract. The focus for 2022 is to continue to develop momentum in the build, to catch up on the delays experienced, and to plan for acceleration, which everybody in this House wants. We know that from our individual roles in each of our constituencies. I am all too aware that we in Kildare we are inundated, as much as everyone in this House is, with calls about frustrations. The point was raised earlier that a person can be just down the road from somebody, that the infrastructure is so close, and they ask if they cannot get it connected quicker. We all want this to happen as quickly as possible. The Government is working in a co-ordinated fashion. The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications is leading the charge in its engagement with NBI to do that, to develop momentum in the build, to catch up on delays that were experienced last year, and to plan for acceleration. Final targets for 2022 will be agreed shortly. Transparency and openness have been raised. Those targets will be clear to everybody. That will give us a real sense of the momentum we are looking to build.

Both the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, are equally keen to see broadband delivered to all citizens as soon as possible, as are all of us in government and in this House. The progression of the roll-out by NBI, in tandem with increased commercial investment by operators such as Eir, SIRO and Virgin Media, is the best means of achieving this. We will continue to work together to deliver for the people of Ireland a broadband plan that will future-proof our country, both economically and societally. It is critical to balanced regional development and to all aspects of our lives. It continues to be a top priority of the Government.

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