Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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1059. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of the national broadband plan in terms of the procurement process; the expected roll-out terms, timeframe and completion dates for the remaining homes and businesses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36781/18]

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 is being achieved via a combination of commercial investment and a 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 in its closing stages. Details of deployment plans for the State intervention area will be available following conclusion of the procurement process.

For those premises currently awaiting access to high speed broadband, 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. The Department of Rural and Community Development maintain a list of Broadband Officers, a link to which is available on my Department's website at