Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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467. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the amount that his Department has spent in each year since 2011 on improving mobile telephone coverage. [50904/17]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Responsibility for telecommunications policy falls, in the first instance, under the remit of the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment.

However, my Department has been supporting the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment in improving mobile phone coverage across Ireland through the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce.

This Taskforce was established in July 2016 to examine solutions to addressing broadband/mobile phone coverage deficits and to identify tangible actions that can be taken in the short-term to improve the quality of services being provided.

The Taskforce published its report in December 2016, and set out 40 actions to be taken to alleviate barriers to mobile reception and broadband access. As part of the Government's commitment to follow through on these actions, an Implementation Group was established earlier this year to oversee their delivery. The Implementation Group is co-chaired by the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Denis Naughten T.D., and the Minister for Community Development, Natural Resources & Digital Development, Sean Kyne, T.D.

One of the recommendations made by the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce was that each Local Authority should assign an officer with responsibility for broadband and mobile phone services.

My Department provided funding of €1.085 million (€35,000 to each local authority) during 2017 to support the assignment by each Local Authority of a Broadband and Telecommunications Officer. The remit of the Broadband and Telecommunications Officer is primarily to manage interactions with any company that is seeking to roll out telecommunications infrastructure in their county. The Broadband and Telecommunications Officer will also work with the winning bidder(s) in respect of the roll-out of the National Broadband Plan in the areas to be covered by State intervention.

Quarterly progress reports are published on the status of actions outlined in the Taskforce report, and a comprehensive annual review of 2017 progress will be completed in early 2018.