Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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328. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she plans to expand broadband connection points across the country; the number of broadband connections by county to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27965/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Public Broadband Connection Points (BCPs) provide onsite connectivity for community use at publicly accessible premises, such as community centres and sports clubs. They are located in rural and isolated areas including on a number of off-shore islands and support remote working, digital skills training and a range of community initiatives.

In the coming months, in consultation with Public BCP stakeholders, my officials will draft a development strategy for the Public BCP Network. This strategy will set out a number of ambitions and opportunities and will guide decisions on future supports, partnerships and the scope to improve and broaden services. Among the items for consideration will be the issue of inviting additional premises, that have access to high-speed broadband, into the Public BCP network.

The current focus of the Public BCP project is to complete the rollout of the 300 sites which are already within the project plan. It is expected that all 300 Public BCPs will be completed and live in Quarter 1 of 2023. When completed, the Public BCP network will have a presence in every county in the State and in some of our most rural and isolated communities, including many off-shore islands.As the site connection rate grows, my Department will work with local authorities and the committees that manage the Public BCPs to improve services and drive demand for use of the sites.

There are a number of pilot programmes currently underway, or recently completed, that explore the potential for Public BCPs to provide additional public benefit. Among these are programmes related to remote working, arts and culture, eHealth and education and training. A number of these programmes have been provided with additional support to ensure they continue past the pilot stage, including coding for primary school children, painting classes and eHealth pods offering remote access to medical appointments.

The county breakdown of the network is as follows: