I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 and 9 together.
I met the board of Telecom Éireann last week to hear its views on recent reports which had expressed concern at the level of investment in advanced telecommunications infrastructure. The board informed me that the company's plans for the next five years involve a significant level of investment in the core telecommunications network as well as in broadband infrastructure. Telecom Éireann plans a capital investment of £350 million for the financial year l998-99.
As far as the Border regions are concerned, the INTERREG programme agreed by the European Commission in February 1995 aims to assist internal border areas of the European Union in overcoming the special development problems arising from their relative isolation within national economics and within the Union as a whole.
In January 1996, approval was granted to Telecom Éireann for EU assistance for a number of telecommunications projects under the INTERREG programme. These projects involve investments totalling £11.6 million in fibre optic cabling and the upgrading of exchanges to advanced ISDN technologies in the Border counties of Donegal, Cavan, Leitrim, Louth, Monaghan and Sligo. A total of £5.8 million of this investment is being provided by the EU.
To date, a total of £4.4 million has been spent under the INTERREG programme and in this year it is planned to spend a further £5 million on the further roll-out of fibre optic cabling and the upgrade of additional exchanges in the Border regions.
The balance of the programme, comprising £2.2 million in expenditure, will take place in 1999. Apart from this EU-funded investment, Telecom Éireann will spend, as part of its ongoing capital investment programme, an additional £2.6 million on the development of telecommunications infrastructure in the Border regions in 1997-98 and 1998-99.
The Deputy will be aware that Telecom Éireann is no longer the only provider of telecommunications infrastructure in this country. Since the liberalisation of infrastructure on 1 July 1997 there are other operators in the market who are also investing in the country's communications network.