Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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197. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will provide the schedule that sets out each heading of the 14 categories under which the National Broadband Plan contingency subsidy can be accessed; and the amount drawn down to date under each heading. [57175/21]

Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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The National Broadband Plan contract provides that the contingency funding element of the NBP subsidy can only be drawn down in 14 specific circumstances, where National Broadband Ireland (NBI) can demonstrate that additional, unanticipated costs have been proven to have occurred relevant to these specific circumstances. It would not be in the public interest for the Department to disclose the details of the 14 categories of conditional subsidy, as this information is commercially sensitive and could negatively impact on NBI’s ability to achieve value for money in sub-contractor procurement processes. I can confirm that to date no payments have been made from the contingency fund.