Sinn Féin MLA Maolíosa McHugh has said the delivery of decent broadband through Project Stratum to homes and businesses particularly in rural areas is a vitally important project.

And he said it is important that when such a significant amount of public money is being spent that there is oversight to ensure the best value for the public purse and that as many people as possible benefit.

The public accounts committee member said:

“Sinn Féin has previously met with the Comptroller and Auditor General in relation to Project Stratum, the Audit Office also reported in December on Project Stratum and today the PAC heard from senior officials responsible for delivering the project.

“It is crucial that with such a significant amount of investment of public funding, there is proper oversight of how it is rolled out and that it gets to as many premises as possible.

“I welcome the announcement earlier this week that an additional 8500 premises will now be included in the rollout of Project Stratum.

“It is also important that broadband providers are held accountable for delivering broadband to premises deemed to be commercially viable in a timely way.

“Sinn Féin will continue to work to ensure rural dwellers, homes and businesses have access to decent broadband services.”