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

I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach and the Deputy. The national broadband plan, NBP, State-led intervention will be delivered by National Broadband Ireland, NBI, under a contract to roll out a high-speed and future-proofed broadband network within the intervention area which covers 1.1 million people living and working in the more than 554,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along with some 679 schools.

Despite the unprecedented challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, NBI has made steady progress on delivery of the new high-speed fibre broadband network under the NBP. I am advised by NBI that as of a April 2022 more than 316,000 premises have now been surveyed and over 166,000 premises are under construction or complete across 26 counties. I am further advised that almost 62,000 premises are now available to order or pre-order a high-speed broadband connection across 22 counties, with more than 41,000 premises passed across 19 counties and available for immediate connection.

In addition to the premises completed, build is under way on more than 124,800 premises, demonstrating the project is reaching scale. NBI has confirmed that more than 9,200 premises have been connected as of 1 April and this is increasing on a daily basis. To date, the level of connections is in line with projections and some areas are exceeding targets.

The Department has worked with NBI to agree an updated interim remedial plan which recalibrates the targets for 2022 to take account of the knock-on effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and other delays to the programme, with a revised target of 102,000 premises passed by the end of January 2023, which is the end of the contract year three.

It remains the Government's ambition to roll out the national broadband plan State-led intervention as quickly as possible. The Department continues to engage with NBI to explore the feasibility of accelerating aspects of the NBP roll-out in order to establish the possibility of bringing forward to an earlier date premises currently scheduled in years six and seven of the current plan. The primary focus, however, must be on addressing the delays that have arisen and ensuring that the build programme gets back on track and is building momentum month on month.

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