Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

81. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the details of her engagement with the National Broadband Plan in the past two months; and if she has confidence in the plan. [38495/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The National Broadband Plan (NBP) will bring reliable high-speed broadband to approximately 540,000 premises across the State, primarily in rural and isolated areas. These premises include homes, farms, community and health facilities, schools, and businesses.

The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications has contracted National Broadband Ireland to deliver the NBP in areas where connectivity is not commercially viable and, as such, responsibility for the NBP is a matter for the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications.

Notwithstanding this, officials in my Department continue to work closely with their counterparts in the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications to deliver the Broadband Connection Point (BCP) initiative.

In that capacity my officials regularly meet with officials from the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications in order to ensure the orderly deployment of BCPs throughout rural Ireland.

BCPs are among the first deliverables under the NBP contract and are a vital service for communities within the NBP State intervention area. As of 6 July, 203 BCPs are live, with more to come on stream over the coming weeks. A full list can be found on the NBI's website: www.nbi.ie.

The National Broadband Plan will have a profound impact on the future of our country and will provide new opportunities for rural areas in particular. These include improved career opportunities for those living in rural areas, facilitating smart farming, allowing employers to access the pool of talent that resides outside our large towns and cities, and the provision of services such as eHealth and eLearning. The importance of the rollout of the National Broadband Plan is clearly recognised in the Government's new Rural Development Policy - Our Rural Future.