Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 December 2020
323. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Education the position in relation to the provision of broadband for a school (details supplied) in County Wexford; if efforts by her Department have secured broadband provision for the school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41115/20]
View answerThe school referred to by the Deputy currently has the best available service of 20mbs DSL broadband, and was recently awarded to a provider of high speed broadband, however the installation has been delayed due to a local issue accessing the high speed broadband infrastructure. The service provider continues to explore all options to roll out the infrastructure to the school in the context of local planning requirements. The school will be kept apprised of developments.
The delivery of high quality internet connectivity for all schools is a key objective of my Department. It is accepted that good connectivity is essential to ensure that schools are facilitated to progress the embedding of digital technologies in teaching and learning and for the implementation of new and revised curriculum.
Under the current primary schools programme the Department continually reviews the availability of services and upgrades schools where the opportunity arises, in line with contractual and budgetary requirements.
The policy of my Department is to offer the best quality connectivity to all schools in line with the technical solutions available in the market and within financial constraints. Currently investment of some €13m is allocated annually for the provision of internet connectivity to schools. Broadband capacity can vary across geographical locations and is dependent on local infrastructure which can impact on the service that can be provided in individual schools.
The Department is obliged to adhere to procurement regulations, and must engage with the selected providers on the DES Framework of Providers of Broadband Services through a tender process to award services. Having awarded a school service to the highest placed tenderer, the Department is then required to work with that provider to install the service. This is the basis on which all state-funding is utilised to ensure transparency and equal treatment for all schools and providers, and adherence to regulatory requirements.
