I propose to take Questions Nos. 99 and 119 together.
The newspaper article of 31 October last, to which the Deputy refers, contends, inter alia, that the Government offered Eircom a €1.8 billion deal to roll out broadband nationally. It also contends that Eircom was offered a range of incentives such as tax breaks, subsidised loans, amendments to the building regulations and price increases as carrots. These claims are untrue. At no stage were negotiations entered into with Eircom or any other party. At no stage were terms such as postulated in the newspaper article on offer, nor did the Government offer to fund Eircom directly or indirectly through subsidised loans, tax breaks or any other means. Consultancy advice contained in a report to a Government subcommittee, agency or a Department should not be misconstrued as Government policy.
The telecommunications market is a regulated market and, thus, any action by Government has to be consonant with national and EU regulation. Accordingly, Government is not in the business of entering exclusive contracts of the kind inferred by the article with any market entities. It favours investment in open access infrastructure to which all operators have access on similar transparent terms. That is the ethos behind the Government's open-access metropolitan area network programme, which is rolling out high-speed broadband infrastructure to 120 towns and cities regionally.
To the extent that discussions are held between officials of my Department and executives of other telecommunications operators and their representative associations, these were and are born of sound public policy practice and in the context of seeking to align as much as possible the broadband rollout plans of corporate entities and those of the Government, as published in New Connections and the Government's broadband plans.
In that context I commend the telecommunications operators who have contributed significantly to the 80-fold increase in broadband consumers in Ireland in the last 15 months.
