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

The Deputy is right that the project is behind where it should be at this stage, at the end of year two. The ambition, or the agreed remedial plan, is to double the output of connections in this year compared with the number last year to reach 102,000 by the end of the year. The project is not where it should be. Part of the remedial plan was to discuss the reasons for the delay. Some of those reasons are simply the fault of NBI. It can blame its contractor but it is still responsible for what its subcontractor, Eir, which it works with, does. One of the reasons is the pandemic. Although we thought the delays in the original waves of the pandemic would be over, Omicron, of course, took out many staff. That delayed things but it is not the entire story. Some of those delays are the fault of NBI, and it will be charged penalties for that. I have worked with NBI and, in the past month, have met both the chair of NBI and the chair of Eir. I will continue to do that. We reformed the mobile phone and broadband task force in order that we could co-operate with the local authorities. I believe and am assured that we are now converging and getting back on track, that a lot of the issues they had have now been resolved and that the project is now picking up, accelerating and reaching pace.

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