Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 479: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding the rollout of the €30 million scheme for broadband Internet access in all primary and secondary schools; if this will be completed as promised by March 2006; the additional funding which will be provided to schools without the necessary broadband-capable hardware; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26339/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will no doubt be aware, my Department is currently engaged in a process to provide broadband Internet connectivity to all recognised first and second level schools with security, content filtering and other services routed through a national broadband network for schools. The scheme will receive industry support through an agreement with the Telecommunications and Internet Federation to the tune of some €15 million over the next three years with the estimated remaining €15 million being provided from Exchequer sources.

Following a public tendering process contracts have been awarded to six firms for the provision of access connectivity across the nearly 4,000 schools involved and to a further company for the provision of a broadband router at school level. Currently the roll-out process is underway and a significant number of schools have already had basic connectivity service installed. The installation of routers has also commenced and it is envisaged that this process will be completed by or before March 2006.

The provision of broadband connectivity is but one element of my Department's ongoing initiative in the integration of ICT into teaching and learning. Another specific priority relates to the development of computer networking facilities within schools and to this end, since December last, my Department has provided funding currently totalling some €20 million to some 3,600 schools based upon proposals submitted in this regard. My Department is currently considering the options and needs for the furtherance of the ICT initiative in schools in the context of an on-going census of school ICT infrastructure. This will inform future resource allocation in the area.