Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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458. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when all areas will receive high quality broadband in view of the decision by the EIB to refinance the NBP. [17514/18]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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The Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure high speed broadband access (minimum 30 megabits per second) to all premises in Ireland, regardless of location.  The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector. Today, almost 7 out of 10 of the 2.3 million premises in Ireland have access to high speed broadband. Since this Government came into office almost 400,000 additional premises have access to high speed broadband. This will increase to nearly 8 out of 10 premises by the end of this year and by 2020, 9 out of 10 premises will have access to a high speed broadband connection. This is being achieved via a combination of commercial investment and a State led intervention.

On 12 April 2018, the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced it had allocated finance of €500 million to the roll-out of a high speed broadband network for the National Broadband Plan.  EIB financing is only offered to projects which contribute to EU Economic policy objectives, such as the improvement of EU transport and telecommunications infrastructure and which also meet the EIB’s requirements for overall quality and soundness.  I welcome the announcement from the EIB as an endorsement of the NBP State led intervention.  The allocation of €500m in EU financing from the EIB provides the project with the potential to access reliable and affordable finance from a recognised European financial institution under the Investment Plan for Europe.

In April 2017 I published an updated High Speed Broadband Map which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. This map shows the areas targeted by commercial operators to provide high speed broadband services and the areas that will be included in the State Intervention Area under the NBP.

My Department is in a formal procurement process to select a company who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network in the State intervention area. That procurement process is now in its final stages. The Department will engage with the bidder to ensure the most efficient deployment as part of the contract.

In April 2017, I signed a Commitment Agreement with eir in relation to its plans to provide high speed broadband to 300,000 premises in rural areas on a commercial basis. eir has committed to completing the roll-out by the end of this year.  Information on eir's planned rural deployment is available at . A copy of the Commitment Agreement is available on my Department’s website www.dccae.gov.ie.

Quarterly updates on eir's rural deployment are published on this website. eir has passed a total of 121,000 premises as of December 2017.  Figures for Q1 2018 are expected to be published in May.

Prior to the roll-out of the NBP State led intervention, practical initiatives will continue to be addressed through the work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to address obstacles and improve connectivity in respect of existing and future mobile phone and broadband services.

Under this Taskforce, engagement between telecommunications operators and local authorities through the Broadband Officers is continuing to strengthen.  These Broadband Officers are acting as single points of contact in local authorities for their communities.  The appointment of these officers is already reaping rewards in terms of ensuring a much greater degree of consistency in engagements with operators and clearing obstacles to developing infrastructure.  There is a link to a list of these local Broadband Officers on my Department's website.

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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459. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when fibre broadband will be rolled out at a location (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17519/18]

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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460. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when fibre broadband will be rolled out at a location (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17520/18]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 459 and 460 together.

The Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure high speed broadband access (minimum 30 megabits per second) to all premises in Ireland, regardless of location.  The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector. Today, almost 7 out of 10 of the 2.3 million premises in Ireland have access to high speed broadband. Since this Government came into office almost 400,000 additional premises have access to high speed broadband. This will increase to nearly 8 out of 10 premises by the end of this year and by 2020, 9 out of 10 premises will have access to a high speed broadband connection. This is being achieved via a combination of commercial investment and a State led intervention.

The premises referred to by the Deputy are in an AMBER area on my Department’s High Speed Broadband Map, which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie.  They are therefore included in the State Intervention Area under the NBP.

My Department is in a formal procurement process to select a company who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network in the State intervention area. That procurement process is now in its final stages.

In the interim, practical initiatives will continue to be addressed through the work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to address obstacles and improve connectivity in respect of existing and future mobile phone and broadband services.

Under this Taskforce, engagement between telecommunications operators and local authorities through the Broadband Officers is continuing to strengthen.  These Broadband Officers are acting as single points of contact in local authorities for their communities.  The appointment of these officers is already reaping rewards in terms of ensuring a much greater degree of consistency in engagements with operators and clearing obstacles to developing infrastructure.  There is a link to a list of these local Broadband Officers on my Department's website.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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461. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if broadband will be rolled out in Ballymore, County Westmeath, in autumn 2018; and the timeframe that has been previously confirmed in terms of the national broadband plan roll-out. [17567/18]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I refer the Deputy to the below reply to Question No. 1199 of 17 March 2018.

In April 2017, I signed a Commitment Agreement with eir in relation to its plans to provide high speed broadband to 300,000 premises in rural areas on a commercial basis. eir has committed to completing this roll-out by the end of this year.  Information on eir's ongoing rural deployment is available at /. A copy of the Commitment Agreement is available on my Department’s website www.dccae.gov.ie.

Quarterly updates on eir's rural deployment are published on this website. eir has passed a total of 121,000 of the committed premises as of December 2017.  This figure includes 2,750 premises in Westmeath passed to date, with a further 4,000 to follow this year. 

As the Deputy will be aware, my Department's High Speed Broadband Map (www.broadband.gov.ie) shows that 99% (134 premises) of the townland of Ballymore, County Westmeath are to receive access to a high speed broadband connection via eir’s ongoing rural fibre deployment. According to eir's own estimate, the premises in Ballymore within their deployment plan are due to be passed in the second half of 2018.

A further 1% (2 premises) of the townland will receive access to high speed broadband via the State led intervention.  My Department is in a formal procurement process to select a company who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network in the State intervention area. That procurement process is now in its final stages.

In the interim, practical initiatives will continue to be addressed through the work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to address obstacles and improve connectivity in respect of existing and future mobile phone and broadband services.

Under this Taskforce, engagement between telecommunications operators and local authorities through the Broadband Officers is continuing to strengthen.  These Broadband Officers are acting as single points of contact in local authorities for their communities.  The appointment of these officers is already reaping rewards in terms of ensuring a much greater degree of consistency in engagements with operators and clearing obstacles to developing infrastructure.  There is a link to a list of these local Broadband Officers on my Department's website.

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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462. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when fibre broadband will be rolled out at a location (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17588/18]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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The Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure high speed broadband access (minimum 30 megabits per second) to all premises in Ireland, regardless of location.  The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector. Today, almost 7 out of 10 of the 2.3 million premises in Ireland have access to high speed broadband. Since this Government came into office almost 400,000 additional premises have access to high speed broadband. This will increase to nearly 8 out of 10 premises by the end of this year and by 2020, 9 out of 10 premises will have access to a high speed broadband connection. This is being achieved via a combination of commercial investment and a State led intervention.

In April 2017 I published an updated High Speed Broadband Map which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. This map shows the areas targeted by commercial operators to provide high speed broadband services and the areas that will be included in the State Intervention Area under the NBP.

The Map is colour coded and searchable by address/eircode:

- The AMBER areas represent the target areas for the proposed State led Intervention under the NBP and are the subject of an ongoing procurement process. 

- The BLUE represent those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high speed broadband services. 

- The LIGHT BLUE areas represent eir's commercial rural deployment plans to roll-out high speed broadband to 300,000 premises by the end of this year as part of a Commitment Agreement signed with me in April.

There are 18 premises in the townland of Knocknahilan, of which 8 fall within the AMBER area and will be covered under the State led Intervention, while 10 are LIGHT BLUE and fall to be covered by eir's planned rural deployment. Individuals can check which category their premises falls into by going to my Department’s website www.broadband.gov.ieand searching the Map via eircode/address.

In April 2017, I signed a Commitment Agreement with eir in relation to its plans to provide High speed broadband to 300,000 premises in rural areas on a commercial basis. eir has committed to completing the roll-out by the end of this year.  Information on eir's planned rural deployment is available at . A copy of the Commitment Agreement is available on my Department’s website www.dccae.gov.ie. Quarterly updates on eir's rural deployment are published on this website. eir has passed a total of 121,000 premises as of December 2017.  Figures for Q1 2018 are expected to be published in May.

My Department is in a formal procurement process to select a company who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network in the State intervention area. That procurement process is now in its final stages.

In the interim, practical initiatives will continue to be addressed through the work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to address obstacles and improve connectivity in respect of existing and future mobile phone and broadband services.

Under this Taskforce, engagement between telecommunications operators and local authorities through the Broadband Officers is continuing to strengthen.  These Broadband Officers are acting as single points of contact in local authorities for their communities.  The appointment of these officers is already reaping rewards in terms of ensuring a much greater degree of consistency in engagements with operators and clearing obstacles to developing infrastructure.  There is a link to a list of these local Broadband Officers on my Department's website.

Michael Harty (Clare, Independent)
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463. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of the 300,000 homes and businesses scheduled to be connected to high speed broadband by Eir which are in County Clare; the progress with regard to connection in the county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17626/18]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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In April 2017, I signed a Commitment Agreement with eir in relation to its plans to provide high speed broadband to 300,000 premises in rural areas on a commercial basis. eir has committed to completing this roll-out by year end.  A copy of the Commitment Agreement is available on my Department’s website www.dccae.gov.ie.

Quarterly updates on eir's rural deployment are published on my Department’s website www.broadband.gov.ie. As at the end of December 2017, 3,481 premises in County Clare were passed by eir.  A further 10,702 premises in Co. Clare are due to be passed by eir as part of its planned rural deployment.  By the end of eir's roll-out I anticipate that approximately 66% of all premises in Clare will have access to a high speed broadband service.  Information on eir's planned rural deployment is available at .

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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464. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if a matter in respect of a person (details supplied) regarding broadband connectivity will be addressed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17631/18]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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The Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure high speed broadband access (minimum 30 megabits per second) to all premises in Ireland, regardless of location.  The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector. Today, almost 7 out of 10 of the 2.3 million premises in Ireland have access to high speed broadband. Since this Government came into office almost 400,000 additional premises have access to high speed broadband. This will increase to nearly 8 out of 10 premises by the end of this year and by 2020, 9 out of 10 premises will have access to a high speed broadband connection. This is being achieved via a combination of commercial investment and a State led intervention.

The premise referred to by the Deputy is in an AMBER area on my Department’s High Speed Broadband Map, which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie.  It is therefore included in the State Intervention Area under the NBP.

My Department is in a formal procurement process to select a company who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network in the State intervention area. That procurement process is now in its final stages.

In the interim, practical initiatives will continue to be addressed through the work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to address obstacles and improve connectivity in respect of existing and future mobile phone and broadband services.

Under this Taskforce, engagement between telecommunications operators and local authorities through the Broadband Officers is continuing to strengthen.  These Broadband Officers are acting as single points of contact in local authorities for their communities.  The appointment of these officers is already reaping rewards in terms of ensuring a much greater degree of consistency in engagements with operators and clearing obstacles to developing infrastructure.  There is a link to a list of these local Broadband Officers on my Department's website.