Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 191: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of schools connected to broadband by county and type of school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15717/07]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 192: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of schools each of the broadband companies have completed connection to; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15718/07]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 193: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of schools who were connected to a company (details supplied) before their collapse; if they have been connected to another supplier; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15719/07]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 194: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the amount of the original budget for broadband connection for schools that has been spent; the amount of additional money being committed to complete the project; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15720/07]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 195: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the Government target in relation to the connection of schools to broadband; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15721/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 191 to 195, inclusive, together.

The Schools Broadband Access Programme involves the provision of broadband internet connectivity to all recognised primary and post-primary schools. This project is being undertaken in partnership with industry in the context of a Government — IBEC/TIF (Telecommunications and Internet Federation) Agreement to provide local broadband connectivity to schools. The Agreement provides for the establishment of a three year €18m joint Government-IBEC/TIF Fund, with industry contributing €5m per annum and the Government contributing €1m per annum.

The broadband connectivity is being provided via a Schools National Broadband Network supported by HEAnet, which will provide managed Internet access, email, security controls, content filtering and other services designed to enhance the educational process. A Broadband Support Service Desk has also been established to assist schools with advice and information relating to the roll-out and ongoing use of their broadband connectivity within the schools network. The overall cost of the Schools Broadband Access Programme, including the initial set-up and ongoing costs over the three years, were estimated at some €30m. At this stage, in the second year of the programme, approximately €18 million has already been spent.

Following a public tendering process, contracts were finalised in 2005 with six Service Providers for the provision of local access connectivity to 3,925 schools and with a further Provider for the installation of a broadband router at school level where appropriate. Roll out of the local connectivity and router installation commenced in June 2005 and the vast majority of schools(97%) have been successfully connected to the Network. My Department is monitoring the position of the outstanding schools, where the installation is awaited due to building programmes or installation difficulties. My Department is arranging for some 31 additional new schools to be connected to the Network.

The breakdown of the 3,796 schools that have been successfully connected to the Network by individual service providers is as follows:

BT Ireland: 288

Digiweb Ltd: 1,598

High Speed Data Solutions Ltd: 55

Irish Broadband Internet Services Ltd: 508

Last Mile Ltd: 169

Smart Telecom: 1,178

The position in relation to Smart Telecom is that the company is continuing to provide services as an authorised operator approved by the Commission for Communications Regulation.

A further 72 schools have had broadband access provided under the Hermes and Advanced Deployment programmes and therefore currently have broadband connections independent of the Schools Broadband Access Programme. The number of primary and post-primary schools with broadband connectivity by county (based on the Schools Broadband Access Programme installations and the Hermes and Advanced Deployment programmes) is appended for the Deputy's information.

It should be noted that a number of the schools that have not been connected under the Schools Broadband Access Programme will have their own independent broadband connectivity.