Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 599: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of County Clare primary and secondary schools that have received broadband connectivity under the broadband for schools programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28775/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is providing broadband connectivity to recognised primary and post-primary schools under the Schools Broadband Access Programme. This programme 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 Programme has 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. It is managed by the National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE).

Following a competitive technology neutral, central procurement process, contracts were finalised in 2005 with six service providers for the provision of local broadband access to 3,925 schools. 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, of which 136 are in County Clare. As of 24 June, 2008, 3,901 (99%) have had their local connectivity installed and of these 3,899 have had their router capability installed and tested. A further 72 schools have had broadband access provided under the Hermes and Advanced Deployment programmes and are not included in the 3,901 figure. However, none of these schools are in County Clare. In relation to County Clare, as of 24 June, 2008, 118 primary schools (100%) and 18 post-primary schools (100%) have had their local connectivity installed and have had their router capability installed and tested.