James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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69. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the position regarding the roll-out of the national broadband plan with specific reference to County Wexford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14000/19]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The National Broadband Plan aims to ensure that every home, school and business in Ireland has access to high speed broadband. This is being achieved through a combination of commercial investment across the country, and a State intervention in those areas where commercial operators acting alone are unlikely to invest.

In April 2017 my Department 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 National Broadband Plan. The Map is colour coded and searchable by address or Eircode.

Since December 2015, the number of premises with access to high-speed broadband in Wexford has increased by 19,070, a 21% increase. In total, the number of premises in Wexford with access to high speech broadband is 59,620, 72% of total premises in the County. Another 1,154 will be served by eir under that company’s ongoing rural deployment.

The remaining 21,761 homes, schools and businesses in Wexford will be connected under the Government’s National Broadband Plan State intervention. The NBP State intervention procurement process is now at the final stage.

My priority is to bring the procurement process to a fair and impartial conclusion and bring a recommendation to Government in the coming weeks.