John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Question 21: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the programme which exists to provide a suitable IT capability among students in all schools; the level of progress which has been achieved to date in 2005; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39587/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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There has been significant progress in the development of ICT infrastructure in schools, in enhancing teachers' skills and pedagogical practice and in the development of curriculum and learning resources, since the introduction of the ICT in schools initiative in 1998. My Department is currently examining the future priorities for the ICT in schools initiative and this work is being complemented by a further census of ICT infrastructure, in both primary and post-primary schools, which is being undertaken by the NCTE and an evaluation of the impact of ICT in teaching and learning in schools, in which my Department's inspectorate is currently engaged.

The major focus for my Department at present is the roll-out of broadband connectivity to all recognised schools. This project is being undertaken in partnership with industry, following the establishment of a three year €18 million joint Government-IBEC — TIF, Telecommunications and Internet Federation, fund to fund local connectivity at school level.

The broadband connectivity is being provided via a schools national broadband network supported by HEAnet, which will provide managed Internet access, e-mail, security controls and content filtering. A broadband support service is being managed by the National Centre for Technology in Education to assist schools with advice and information relating to the roll out and ongoing use of their broadband connectivity within the schools network.

Following a public procurement process last year, contracts have been agreed with six companies for the provision of access connectivity to some 4,000 schools involved. These companies are Digiweb, Smart Telecom, Irish Broadband, BT Ireland, Last Mile and HS Data. The contract for the provision of a broadband router at school level, where appropriate, was awarded to Eircom.

The roll-out process is now well under way and as of 12 December 2005, the number of schools who have had their basic connectivity service installed was 2,670 and the number of schools which have had their router installed, either separately or as part of the basic connectivity service, was 1,959. In this regard, the satellite provision for 347 schools contains the necessary functionality and does not require the provision of a separate router. It is expected that the roll-out will be fully completed by March 2006.

The overall costs of the schools broadband access programme, comprising the local connectivity at school level, the schools national broadband network and the support service, including the initial set-up and ongoing costs over the next three years, are estimated at some €30 million. The provision of always-on high speed Internet access for recognised schools presents a major development in the ICT in schools initiative to integrate technology into teaching and learning in our schools and to ensure that the ICT skills of our young people are developed to their full potential.

The roll out of broadband connectivity builds on the recent investment by my Department in providing grants to schools for the development of computer networking facilities. Since December 2004, over 3,700 schools have received grants to develop their networking facilities at a cost of some €20 million. The development of internal networking facilities in schools is critical to supporting schools' full exploitation of the potential offered by broadband connectivity and the efficient use of computer software.