Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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259. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the progress made in extending broadband services to the home of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15734/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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As previously stated in my reply of 10 February to a Parliamentary Question on this matter, the premises referred to in the Question is located in the BLUE area on the NBP High Speed Broadband Map which is available on my Department's website at www.broadband.gov.ie.

BLUE areas are not included in the State intervention area covered by the National Broadband Plan as commercial operators are already providing high speed broadband or have indicated future plans to do so. My Department defines high speed broadband as a connection with minimum speeds of 30Mbps download and 6Mbps upload. The activities of commercial operators delivering high speed broadband within BLUE areas are not planned or funded by the State and my Department has no statutory authority to intervene in that regard.

My Department has, however, raised a query regarding the premises in question with the service provider to get the current status for this location. The service provider has since requested further information on the premises in order to investigate the matter fully and to ascertain the broadband speeds available to the premises. My Department has recently contacted the Deputy in this regard.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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260. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if Ballyharney, Delvin, County Westmeath, is included in the recent announcement for areas receiving broadband by autumn 2021 (details supplied). [15742/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The National Broadband Plan (NBP) State led Intervention will be delivered by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) under a contract to roll out a high speed and future proofed broadband network within the Intervention Area which covers 1.1 million people living and working in the over 546,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along with 695 schools.

I appreciate people's frustration when they are living so close to a fibre network but cannot get a connection to that network, particularly given the heightened importance of connectivity during the Covid-19 pandemic. The NBP will ensure that in all such cases a future proofed high speed broadband network will be built to serve these premises and work to deliver on this is underway. 

I am advised by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) that, as of 17 March 2021, nearly 194,000 premises across all counties have been surveyed. There are 11,761 premises in the Intervention area in County Westmeath of which 8,658 (74%) premises have been surveyed. Surveys are complete or underway in County Westmeath in Mullingar, Sonna, Stonehall, Taghmon, Jamestown, Hopestown, and Athlone. Pre-works have commenced in the areas around Mullingar. Ballyhandy, Dysart, Co Westmeath is located in the NBP State led Intervention Area. I am advised that build works have commenced in the area and NBI anticipates that high speed broadband will be available between October 2021 to December 2021. Ballyharney, Devlin, Co Westmeath is also included the NBP State led Intervention Area.

Further details are available on specific areas within County Westmeath through the NBI website which provides a facility for any premises within the intervention area to register their interest in being provided with deployment updates through its website www.nbi.ie. Individuals who register with this facility will receive regular updates on progress by NBI on delivering the network and specific updates related to their own premises as works commence. I am advised that NBI is working to provide more detail on its website, with a rolling update on network build plans. NBI also has a dedicated email address, reps@nbi.ie, which can be used by Oireachtas members for specific queries.

Broadband Connection Points (BCPs) are a key element of the NBP providing high speed broadband in every county in advance of the roll out of the fibre to the home network. As of 17 March, 289 BCP sites have been installed by NBI and the high speed broadband service will be switched on in these locations through service provider contracts managed by the Department of Rural and Community Development for publicly accessible sites and the Department of Education for school BCPs. BCP’s are installed at Streete Parish Park and Community Hall, Whitehall Community Centre, Milltown Emper Community Centre and Ballycomoyle GAA Club. Further details can be found at https://nbi.ie/bcp-locations/. 

Scoil Náisiúnta Bhride is connected as part of this initiative. My Department continues to work with the Department of Education to prioritise schools with no high speed broadband, within the Intervention Area, for connection over the term of the NBP. In this regard, an acceleration of this aspect of the National Broadband Plan was announced in December which will see some 679 primary schools connected to high speed broadband by 2022, well ahead of the original target delivery timeframe of 2026. Further details are available on the NBI website at .