The provision of telecommunications services is a matter in the first instance for the companies who now operate in a fully liberalised market. My responsibility is for public policy in the sector within which these companies operate. Irish telecommunications policy has traditionally attempted to ensure the widest possible availability of competitive services throughout the regions. I have, in recent years, put in place a number of initiatives, which seek to address gaps in communications infrastructure in Ireland.
Under the National Development Plan, 1994-1999, IR£21 million was made available to support the roll-out of broadband to the regions. This figure has been significantly increased under the National Development Plan, 2000-2006, to IR£147 million. The allocation of this funding is the responsibility of my Department. Funding under this communications and e-commerce measure of the NDP will be utilised to leverage and accelerate investment in competitive advanced information and communications infrastructure and services which will enhance the potential for the development of electronic commerce facilities and enable the electronic provision of public services, including education services, virtual libraries, welfare and health services.
Two-thirds of the funding under this measure is being made available in the Border, midlands and west region, which contains the counties of Sligo and Leitrim. A competition has been run by my Department to allocate the first IR£77 million of the funding. The competition process was executed over the summer months, with a closing date of 22 September last. Given the liberalised nature of the telecommunications sector, the competition was run on the basis of public sector co-funding of network extensions to regional areas where it would not be commercially viable to do so at this point in time. The competition criteria specifically award points for the provision of services in deficit areas and the removal of regional barriers. Such criteria promote the inclusion of towns such as Ballymote, Tubbercurry and Strandhill in project proposals by telecommunications operators. The town of Strandhill is previously a beneficiary through an Eircom project, which was supported under the National Development Plan 1994-1999. This project involved upgrading of Eircom's switching network throughout the west region.
