Minister 'stands over' broadband plan despite 60,000 connections target missed

Peter Hendrick, CEO of National Broadband Ireland, said that over 154,000 connections were "either constructed or under construction".

The minister with responsibility for the National Broadband Plan has told the Dáil he "stands over" the scheme, despite it failing to meet its target of connecting 60,000 homes and premises by the end of this month. 

Ossian Smyth was asked by People Before Profit TD Bríd Smith in the Dáil on Thursday how he "can stand over this rip-off of taxpayer's money", which she said had "missed every one of its targets".

Mr Smyth defended the multibillion-euro project "because of the benefits that it brings".

"It is a hugely beneficial project that every deputy in this House knows is essential. Anybody who lives outside a major urban centre knows that broadband is essential to people's quality of life and that is why I can stand over it."

His comments came as representatives of National Broadband Ireland, which is overseeing the project, told TDs and Senators at an Oireachtas Committee hearing it will miss its revised end-of-January target of connecting 60,000 homes and premises. 

Peter Hendrick, CEO of the company, said that over 34,000 premises were now able to avail of broadband, but it would be March before the 60,000 figure was hit.

He told the Oireachtas Committee on Communications and Transport: "As we roll out the network, we have encountered a number of issues, the majority of which have been beyond our direct control, meaning it is difficult to predict completion dates for premises with absolute certainty. 

"While this is inevitable in the early days of delivery of a brownfield project of this nature, I appreciate that it can cause some frustration when seeking to communicate with stakeholders. "

He said that over 154,000 connections were "either constructed or under construction". The equivalent figure this time last year was approximately 19,000, he added.

On the company's shareholding, Mr Hendrick said there was "a series of inaccuracies and / or misleading claims in certain media reports surrounding our shareholdings and broader financial matters". He said these related to "reporting that suggests subsidy payments to NBI were somehow used for reimbursing shareholders for bid costs associated with the tender process".

"I want to make it abundantly clear and categorically put on the record that the subsidy provided by the State is in satisfaction of NBI delivering defined milestones under the Project Agreement. NBI has not been and will not be paid by the State if it does not deliver these milestones."

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In the Dáil, however, TDs focused on the slow pace of the rollout of the plan, with Fianna Fáil's Dara Calleary saying he was "rapidly losing confidence in the roll-out of the national broadband plan". 

He said a community in east Mayo "that is very entrepreneurial" had been told by NBI that it would be connected "between January 2025 and December 2026".

"That is not a window; that is a conservatory. That shows a lack of ambition," he said.

Mr Smyth said that he was "doing everything" to get the project "back on track", though Ms Smith told him the plan "fails at every metric" and "is a disgrace".