Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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43. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if his Department’s position on the National Broadband Plan has changed or whether it remains the same (details supplied); his views on the failure of the National Broadband Plan to meet its targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48206/22]

Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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I am advised by NBI that, as of 28 October 2022, over 97,000 premises can order or pre-order a high-speed broadband connection, with over 87,700 premises passed and available for immediate connection. Construction is underway across 26 counties demonstrating that the project is reaching scale. To date, the level of connections is increasing on a daily basis and is in line with or exceeding projections.

My Department worked with NBI to agree an Updated Interim Remedial Plan (UIRP) which recalibrated the targets for 2022 to take account of the knock on effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and other delays to the programme. The revised target is 102,000 premises to be passed by the end of January 2023, with between 180,000 to 185,000 premises passed by the end of 2023.

NBI are implementing a number of measures to help lessen the impact that delays have had on the rollout. Such measures include:

- Increasing the rate of pole replacement and duct remediation per month

- Bringing in additional NBI resources

- Earlier procurement of materials used in the build stages

- Bringing in additional subcontractors.

The focus will continue to be on ensuring that the NBI build programme is gaining momentum month on month.