Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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130. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he consulted or will consider consulting the OPW to compile a register of State sites and assets that may be suitable for telecommunications infrastructure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36445/21]

Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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At present there is no register of State sites and assets specifically identified as being suitable for the deployment of telecommunications infrastructure. However, I am aware that the Office of Public Works (OPW) is responsible for maintenance and development of the Intra-State Property register which lists leased or owned State and public properties as part of implementation of the State’s strategic management property portfolio.

In September 2020 the European Commission published a Recommendation on boosting investment in very high-capacity broadband connectivity infrastructure, including 5G, calling on Member States to identify and share best practices for a common Union toolbox of measures to reduce the cost of deploying VHCN as well as ensuring timely and investment-friendly access to 5G radio spectrum. This work has resulted in agreement on an EU level list of best practices published on 30 March 2021. One such best practice specifically relates to improving access to and increasing the availability of information in respect of physical infrastructure owned or controlled by public bodies suitable to hosting network elements.

As part of the ongoing work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce, my Department in co-operation with the Department for Rural and Community Development, will continue to engage with all relevant stakeholders and function owners, including the OPW, to explore in the Irish context how best to optimise the availability of such information, as referred to in the EU Connectivity Toolbox, to facilitate deployment of telecommunications infrastructure, including the possibility of using relevant information captured in the OPW register.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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131. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of the implementation of the EU connectivity toolbox; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36446/21]

Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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The EU Common Toolbox for Connectivity aims to boost investment in very high-capacity broadband connectivity infrastructure (Very High Capacity Networks and 5G (Spectrum) following the European Commission’s Recommendation of 18 September 2020. The Toolbox aims to assist the EU in urgently addressing issues of investment such as network cost reduction and coordinated spectrum authorisation. Member States agreed to identify and share best practices for a common EU toolbox of measures to reduce the cost of deploying VHCN as well as ensuring timely and investment-friendly access to 5G radio spectrum. My Department has engaged in the process of inputting to agreement on an EU level list of best practices which was published on 30 March 2021 and has also prepared a national roadmap. All Member States committed to presenting a report on their national roadmaps to the EU by 30 April 2022 and each April thereafter.

The roadmaps including the Irish report are now published online at digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/connectivity-toolbox-member-states-develop-and-share-roadmaps-toolbox-implementation