The Department of Communications has uncovered two more previously undisclosed meeting between the former Communications Minister and the businessman leading a bid for the National Broadband Plan.

Independent Deputy Denis Naughten resigned his ministerial post last week after it emerged he had attended a number of private dinners with businessman David McCourt.

Mr McCourt heads up the Enet Consortium – which is the sole remaining bidder for the multi-million Euro rural broadband contract.

In a statement this evening the department said it had carried out a comprehensive review of all diary meetings between the former minister, senior officials and anyone involved in Enet over the past two years.

The documents reveal a previously undisclosed meeting involving Deputy Naughten, department officials and Mr McCourt on October 20th 2016.

No notes were taken at the meeting.

They also reveal a meeting between the then-minister, the assistant secretary in the department and Mr McCourt on June 26th this year.

A note on the meeting shows that the broadband plan was discussed and Mr McCourt inquired as to the approach the department was likely to take at a sponsors meeting later that day. 

In its statement, the department noted that it engages with Enet on a “variety of issues” outside the National Broadband Plan (NBP).

It said Enet manages it the State Owned Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs)which are State-owned carrier telecoms networks linking commercial and public buildings to "co-location centres."

The department said the MANs “connect local area networks all around the country, so contact at various levels in the Department with Enet would be expected.”

It also noted that the NBP tendering process requires “extensive engagement between bidders and the Department to see how the department's needs in terms of delivering the National Broadband Plan can best be met.”

It said officials have engaged in around 800 hours of dialogue with all potential bidders.

All of the new information uncovered by the review will be forwarded to Peter Smyth who the Taoiseach has ordered to carry out an independent report on the tendering process to ensure it has not been compromised.