Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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31. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if, given the reference in the National Risk Assessment 2024 in relation to disruptions to the availability of critical infrastructure including the telecommunications networks due to the occurrence of extreme weather events, he will outline the investment plans in place to strengthen such networks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18054/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government 2025 reaffirms our commitment to investing in a modern telecommunications network. The Programme sets a target for the completion of a high-speed fibre network to provide broadband access to 1.1 million people, including homes, farms, and businesses nationwide, by the end of 2026. To date, the total amount invested by the State in the NBP programme since 2020, when the NBP network rollout commenced, is €1.152 billion. As part of the network rollout a comprehensive programme has been undertaken to assess and, where necessary, replace the poles used to carry the overhead fibre network. This programme has seen over 1.1m poles stress-tested to date.

In addition to the State’s significant investment in gigabit fibre networks, commercial operators have also been investing heavily in their networks over the last number of years. Mobile and fixed network operators have invested a combined €5bn in capital expenditure upgrades over the last 8 years, improving their networks and targeting resilience measures such as increased use of underground ducting, installing on-site back-up batteries and making 1,700 power generators available. These investments address key vulnerabilities in networks when it comes to dealing with extreme weather events.

As I noted in my reply to Question No. 201 on 6 March, following a meeting between my colleague Minister O’Donovan and telecoms operators, officials in my Department have been working with industry to progress a plan to improve network resilience to future severe weather events in the near term. This plan will also ensure that future restoration efforts take on board the lessons learned following Storm Éowyn. The development of this plan is on-going and will be discussed at the next meeting of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce.

I also note that, as per my previous reply to Question No. 89 on 11 February, officials in my Department are developing a longer term climate resilience plan for communication networks which will look at how all sectors of the electronic communication networks market can be better prepared for the effects of climate change. This Sectoral Adaption Plan (SAP) for Communication Networks will be published by September.

Looking beyond the SAP, the second EU Networks and Information Systems Directive (NIS2) and the EU Critical Entities Resilience Directive (CER) regulate minimum standards for the resilience, risk and incident management of entities in the cyber & physical space under the supervision of National Competent Authorities (NCA). Both directives are currently in the process of being implemented.

Taken together, these measures will set out a process for operators to systematically identify other potential vulnerabilities to severe weather events in their critical infrastructures that will allow for the targeting of their future investments in resilience.