Cathy Bennett (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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460. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of IT projects within his Department, or bodies under its aegis, which have been allocated funds in excess of €1 million in the years 2020 to date; the purpose of any projects; the initial estimate to complete for such projects; the total amount expended to date; the total estimated cost to complete; the estimated timeframe by which they expected to be completed; by project; by year; in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22948/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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My Department's ICT managed service is provided by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO). On occasion, when necessary, external ICT contracts are used to deliver projects for which the scale or expertise required is not available within the Department. My Department and agencies follow all necessary requirements with regard to such projects, including obtaining appropriate sanctions.

For my Department, the only ICT related project which has an allocation of over €1 million for the period in question is the delivery of the Broadband Connection Points (BCP). The contracts associated with this project are detailed below. These contracts have ensured the ongoing success of the BCP network. The BCP network has been vital for rural communities, providing high speed broadband to communities in advance of the roll out of the National Broadband Plan, and in many cases resulting in facilities which communities can use for remote working, study and accessing online services.

There are four agencies under the remit of my Department, namely, the Charities Regulator, Water Safety Ireland, Pobal and the Western Development Commission. Over the period 2020 to date only the Western Development Commission has delivered a project allocated in excess of €1 million in the years 2020 to date. Funding of €1.67 million has supported the establishment and ongoing maintenance and development of the Connected Hubs platform. This project has been a vital part of helping promote remote working, and giving people access to an easy to use platform for booking remote working spaces.

Overall these two projects have helped ensure that rural communities are provided with access to high quality broadband and remote working options, which form a key commitment within Our Rural Future.