The former Minister for Communications has called on the Government to push on with the National Broadband Plan.

Denis Naughten this evening welcomed the publication of an independent review which found that the tendering process for the multi-million Euro contract was not undermined by his private meetings with businessman David McCourt.

Mr McCourt is heavily involved in the last remaining consortium bidding for the contract, and the meetings led to claims that the process had been 'tainted.'

The revelations prompted Deputy Naughten to resign as minister.

Rural broadband

In a statement this evening, the Roscommon TD noted that the report had found that he ‘did not influence or seek to influence’ the bidding process in favour of Granahan McCourt.

He also welcomed the finding that the process as a whole had not been ‘tainted.’

“I welcome the conclusion of Mr Smyth’s report not only for myself but for the 1.2 million people in rural Ireland waiting to be connected to high speed broadband,” he said.

He called on the “Government and all members of Dáil Éireann” to move forward with the process and “ensure that every home and business in Ireland gains access to high speed broadband without any further delay.”

Undocumented meetings

A number of the meetings between Deputy Naughten and Mr McCourt were held in private with no notes taken or other officials in attendance.

Consultant Peter Smyth, who carried out the review, warned that he was reliant on their word that the bid was not discussed at these meetings.

Despite this, he concluded that neither man had the “opportunity to influence the conduct of the tender process in favour of Granahan McCourt or otherwise.”

He also found that the “decision of the former Minister to resign, thereby removing himself from the process, insulates the process from any apparent bias created by his engagements with Mr McCourt.”

So the Smyth review of the broadband process basically says he doesn’t know what was discussed between Naughten and McCourt because there were no minutes - but he’s still happy the process wasn’t undermined pic.twitter.com/lWRGjatmk3

— Sean Defoe (@SeanDefoe) November 27, 2018

The new Communications Minister Richard Bruton this afternoon said the report had been accepted by Government – and noted that his department is continuing to evaluate the final bid.

However, opposition parties are continuing to criticise the Government’s handling of the process.

This afternoon, Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy said the Government should not have to trust the word of the two men regarding what they discussed at the meetings.

“He does say in the report that there weren’t people at the meeting so he has got to take them at their word,” she said.

“I think we have gone way beyond - when we are talking about a broadband plan of the magnitude that we are talking about - I think we have gone way beyond the ‘trust me’ style of process.

“It has to be a more rigid process.”

More questions than answers

Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil communications spokesperson Timmy Dooley said the report has not answered a number of questions.

"At a minimum, it is clear to me that there are significant breaches of the canvassing section of the rules that apply to this National Broadband Plan," he said.

"There are clear breaches."

He said the conclusion of the report, "is that because [Mr Smyth] could not ascertain, other than based on the statements from the two participants in the private meetings – namely the minister and McCourt – that he can’t absolutely be sure that they didn’t discuss the National Broadband plan.

“What he is saying is that he can’t be sure whether they did or whether they didn’t.”

"Sole objective"

In his statement, Deputy Naughten insisted that his “sole objective” throughout the process “was to deliver much promised broadband to rural Ireland.”

“This should now be the only goal of our government and members of Dáil Éireann at this point and I urge colleagues not to succumb to those who want to make a political issue of the NBP for their own ends and not that of the Country as a whole,” he said.