Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 77: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she is satisfied with the quality and provision of broadband for schools; the percentage of schools that have access to broadband; the percentage breakdown of the type of broadband available to schools here; if she is confident that this figure is an accurate picture of broadband provision in schools here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10575/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Schools Broadband Access Programme involves the provision of broadband connectivity to 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 Programme comprises three elements — local connectivity to schools, a national broadband network and a broadband support service desk. Schools connectivity is being routed to the Internet through a national broadband network, which is supported by HEAnet and provides centrally managed services for schools such as security, anti-spam/anti-virus and content filtering. The broadband support service desk has been established to interface between the network, the local broadband service Access Providers and schools and is managed by the National Centre for Technology in Education. The total costs of the Programme for the first three years, including the initial set-up costs, are some €30m.

Following a competitive, technology neutral, central procurement process for the provision of local connectivity for schools in 2004, roll-out of broadband to schools commenced in June 2005. The total number of schools involved in the Programme has been adjusted in the meantime to reflect a number of school openings, closures and amalgamations and stands currently at 3,936. As of 10th March, 2008, 3,904 (99%) have had their local connectivity installed and of these 3,901 have had their router capability installed and tested. Of the 3,904 local connectivity installations, 27% have fixed line services, 26% have wireless services and 47% have satellite services.

A further 72 schools have had broadband access provided under the Hermes and Advanced Deployment programmes and are not included in the 3,904 figure. The split of technologies across these schools is 60% fixed line, 35% wireless and 5% satellite.

A new Request for Tenders for the next phase of the Schools Broadband Programme will be issued shortly and will be based on a minimum requirement that each individual school receives a service that is at least equivalent, in terms of speed and reliability, to that currently provided. Having regard to the general developments in broadband availability nationally, I expect that improved service offerings will be received under the new tender process.