Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 136: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he will report on the MANs; the take-up on the MANs; the long-term strategy for managing the MANs in the context of the overall communications infrastructure; if the operator suffered losses of as much as €4 million for 2005 as has recently been reported; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20618/06]

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Question 145: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he will provide details on the usage of each of the metropolitan area networks that have been introduced to date; and the revenue received from transactions on the MAN system up to the end of the latest accounting period. [20777/06]

Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 136 and 145 together.

The Government is addressing the local infrastructure deficit by building high-speed open access Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) in 120 towns and cities nationwide, on a phased basis in association with the local and regional authorities. Phase One of this Programme has delivered fibre optic networks to 27 towns and cities throughout the country, which were built on time and under budget. This Programme has been extended to a further 90 towns in various locations nationwide. Design and procurement has already commenced in several regions and construction is due to start in the coming weeks. It is expected that these MANs will be completed during 2006 and 2007. These Metropolitan Area Networks will allow the private sector to offer world-class broadband services at competitive costs.

Further to a competitive, public tender process, E-Net was awarded the contract to manage, maintain, market and operate the Phase 1 MANs for a period of 15 years in June 2004. E-Net is an independent company based in Limerick established solely for this purpose. Under Phase 1 of the MANs programme, all twenty-seven networks have now been completed and handed over to E-Net. There is activity on the networks with several customer contracts being signed by E-Net, including arrangements for backhaul and twenty-two of the twenty-seven MANs have been lit to date. The details of these contracts are commercially sensitive and are a matter for E-Net.

E-Net's contractual obligations for the management, operation and maintenance of the MANs are set out in the Concession Agreement between my Department and E-Net. Tight controls exist within the Concession Agreement E-Net's contractual obligations for the management, operation and maintenance of the MANs are set out in the Concession Agreement between my Department and E-Net. Tight controls exist within the Concession Agreement to closely monitor E-Net's performance. E-Net formally reports to my Department on a quarterly basis and is obliged to file various documents throughout the contract term dealing with its activities. E-Net also publishes an annual set of accounts. I can assure the Deputy that my officials closely monitor E-Net to ensure that they are fulfilling their obligations, in line with the Concession Agreement.