Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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401. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the amount that his Department has spent each year since 2011 on improving mobile phone coverage. [50993/17]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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406. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the amount that his Department has spent on the national mobile phone and broadband taskforce in 2016 and to date in 2017. [51001/17]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 401 and 406 together.

Providing telecommunications services, including mobile phone services, is a matter for the relevant service providers operating in a fully liberalised market regulated by the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg), as independent Regulator. Over the last five years the telecoms industry has invested €3.3bn in Ireland, including €850m invested in acquiring spectrum under the 2012 Multi-Band Spectrum Auction run by ComReg. As a result of this investment 4G data services are available to more than 90pc of the population.

My Department's role in relation to the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce is principally focussed on working with all of the stakeholders to progress the 40 actions. In relation to actual direct spending, my Department incurred no expenditure in 2016. This year to date, spending of €6,572.87 can be directly attributed to the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce. This includes €3,834.28 towards the National Stakeholder Forum and €2,738.59 towards the Taskforce stand at the National Ploughing Championships.