Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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20. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the date of the most recent meeting of the mobile phone and broadband taskforce; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57925/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce was re-established in December 2021 with an inaugural meeting co-chaired by myself and Minister of State Ossian Smyth TD, involving participation from all key State stakeholders.

In April 2022, we held a full meeting of the Taskforce with both State and Industry representatives. After this meeting the Terms of Reference and Work Programme for 2022-2023 were agreed and published on www.gov.ie.

The most recent meeting of the Taskforce took place on November 16^th2022. The purpose of the meeting was for action holders to provide a progress update on the status of each of their actions.

The actions in the Work Programme relate to improving mobile phone coverage in rural areas, examining issues around planning permissions and licensing for, and sharing of, telecoms infrastructure, the use of public assets for telecoms purposes, and improving the quality and availability of information for consumers of telecoms services and products.

This iteration of the Taskforce will meet biannually and will meet again in Quarter 2 of 2023. Prior to the next meeting of the Taskforce an Annual Stakeholder Forum will be held in Quarter 1 of 2023. This forum presents an opportunity for state and industry colleagues to come together and take part in panel discussions and presentations and to meet in a less formal setting than the biannual Taskforce meetings.

I am pleased with the progress to date and with the willingness of all stakeholders to engage with the Taskforce, and I look forward to the continuing work of this important forum.