Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 April 2022
86. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the work that has been carried out to date by the mobile phone and broadband task force, which was reconvened in December 2021; if the task force has met in 2022; if not, when the next meeting is scheduled; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17938/22]
View answer89. Deputy Kieran O'Donnell asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if an update will be provided on the work of the mobile phone and broadband task force, which was re-established in December 2021; the action plan of the task force.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17899/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 86 and 89 together.
In December 2021, Minister of State Smyth and I reconvened the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce. We set out our priorities for the Taskforce in 2022 and beyond, and we made it clear that the new Taskforce will be expected to tackle some of the more complex and longer-term issues that are standing in the way of better mobile and fixed connectivity.
On foot of that meeting, Minister of State Smyth and I tasked our officials with engaging with all Taskforce members bilaterally to produce a proposed work programme for 2022, to include multi-year actions. These actions will, by their nature, require multiple bodies to work together in cooperation in order to resolve them.
To date, senior officials from our two departments have met with 11 organisations, including representatives of industry, local and central government. These meetings have resulted in a draft work programme that draws together multiple members working on shared actions to deliver real, lasting impacts on the way we roll-out communications infrastructure in Ireland.
The date for the next meeting of the Taskforce has been provisionally set for the end of April. At this meeting we will finalise the terms of reference and work programme for the Taskforce. A key outcome of the meeting will also the assigning the bodies that will take lead role responsibility, or a supporting role, for each of the work programmes actions.
