Aidan Farrelly (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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508. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the total number of copper communication lines within his Department currently in active operation and for which his Department is paying for on a monthly basis inclusive of ISDN, PTSN and copper-based lease lines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12987/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The Department's communications infrastructure is provided and managed by the Department of Education as part of a shared service agreement. The Department of Education has informed my officials that it currently has 11 ISDN/PSTN lines and 41 DSL lines. The lines are predominantly in use in Departmental regional offices. The necessity for PSTN/ISDN and DSL technology is mainly due to the unavailability of fibre connections at these locations. Additionally, these lines are required for FAX, franking machines and lift services. However, with the continuous expansion of fibre availability, the Department of Education is currently in the process of transitioning a number of lines and intends to transition as many lines as possible to fibre/SIP connections.