Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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68. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht how she will work in conjunction with the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to prioritise broadband provision in rural areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13114/16]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Delivering the National Broadband Plan is a top priority for Government, as reflected in the Programme for a Partnership Government. The allocation of new responsibilities at Cabinet level also signals the Government’s firm intention to address broadband and other telecoms challenges in rural Ireland. To this end, I will be working closely with the Minister for Communications, Climate Change and Natural Resources to deliver key elements of the National Broadband Plan and to accelerate and prioritise the rollout of the programme in rural areas.

Under the new arrangements, the Department of Communications, Climate Change and Natural Resources will continue with the procurement process for the State Broadband Intervention, which commenced in December 2015. The next stage in that process is to qualify potential bidders and to invite those shortlisted bidders to engage in detailed formal dialogue.

Meanwhile, my own Department will focus on establishing county/regional broadband taskforces, in which Local Authorities, Local Enterprise Offices, LEADER Groups and other relevant agencies will immediately engage with communities and with the telecoms industry in order to eliminate delay factors in advance and enable effective rural broadband delivery once a contract(s) has been awarded under the National Broadband Plan procurement.

As committed to in the Programme for a Partnership Government, within the first 100 days a Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce will be established, co-chaired by my Department and the Department of Communications, Climate Change and Natural Resources. It will also include other relevant Departments, ComReg, the County and City Management Association (CCMA), relevant agencies and the telecommunications industry. The Taskforce will address existing barriers in the areas of infrastructure planning, road opening/reinstatement and environmental consents, industry investment and any other measures which could address telecommunications deficits in rural Ireland.

The two Departments will also establish a joint working group to ensure that the procurement and rollout planning are progressed in parallel and as a priority.