Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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494. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 194 and 195 of 16 November 2017, the date on which the contract for the operations of the ECAS will be up for renewal; the reason there is a delay in issuing a tender for its management and operation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16165/19]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The Emergency Call Answering Service (ECAS) is responsible for answering all 112 and 999 calls and texts to the Emergency Services in the State. The statutory basis for the Emergency Call Answering Service (ECAS) is set out in the Communications Regulation (Amendment) Act 2007. The Act provides for the establishment and operation of the ECAS and enables the Minister to enter into a contract with an entity to provide the service.

Following a procurement process a new ECAS contract was signed in February 2018 with BT Ireland, for the provision of the emergency call answering service for a period of seven years to November 2025. The terms of the contract permit the Minister to request the provision of continuation services for a period of up to 24 months beyond the expiry date in order to assist with the termination of the contract and the transition to a new contract for the provision of the ECAS.