Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 183: To ask the Minister for Finance with regard to the framework for mobile voice and data services, which of the three services has been suspended and the reason for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39874/10]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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On foot of an open EU procurement exercise, my Department put in place a framework for the provision of mobile voice and data services to the entire Irish public service in February 2008. Framework agreements were awarded to three providers - Vodafone, O2, and Meteor. In September 2008, my Department met with Meteor to express its dissatisfaction with Meteor's performance under the framework in terms of the services it was offering and the price levels it was demanding. My Department was concerned that Meteor was not responding to the bulk of procurement competitions operated under the framework, and had not been successful in any, arising from its policies.

As Meteor was not in a position to rectify these matters or give an indication of how or when it could do so, the Government Networks Programme Board, which is chaired by my Department, agreed to the suspension of Meteor indefinitely from the framework in accordance with the Terms and Conditions of the Vendor Particpation Agreement governing the framework. Meteor was notified of this decision in October 2008, and was informed that my Department would be willing to review the suspension on notification from Meteor of changes that would rectify the causes for suspension. Meteor has not responded to that opportunity to date.