Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 2 February 2010
601 Deputy Seán Sherlock asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his views on recent calls for the construction of new metropolitan area networks in the five national spatial strategy centres in Shannon, Ennis, Mallow, Tuam and Castlebar that do not have such networks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5369/10]
View answerThe position in regard to future Exchequer investment in any further phases of the Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) Programme, will be guided by (i) the policy paper on Next Generation Broadband, which I published in June 2009 and which set out the general forecast for broadband policy; (ii) the Value for Money and Policy Review of Phase I of the MANs Programme, which was published in July 2008, and direct Exchequer investment; and (iii) the availability of resources. My officials are currently analysing potential options for further investment under the MANs Programme in the light of that which I have just outlined.
