Ireland currently has over 1.2 million subscribers to broadband, according to the government of Ireland, which provides a detailed map of broadband availability by location, by company and by speed.
Read more: Irish Government to Spend $362 Million on Broadband Infrastructure
Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan yesterday revealed details of the National Broadband Scheme (NBS) which will bring broadband internet access to the 10 per cent of the population, spread over about 33 per cent of the geographic area of the State, who cannot get the service.
Read more: Ireland: Plan to bring broadband to entire country by 2010
The establishment of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes was announced yesterday as part of the Government's plan for reforms of the public service.
The planned changes also include the extension of staff performance reviews, which apply in the civil service and local government, to all areas of the public service.
Read more: Ireland: Group to review public service positions
New York's 311 service is the phone number for all the US government's information and non- emergency services.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen visited the headquarters of the service in the New York Mayor's office earlier this year on a visit to the city and said he was impressed by the set-up.
Read more: Ireland: All State services to be available on one number
Government sources indicated yesterday that the package is "designed to address the immediate priority of securing maximum value for public spending and laying the foundation for a complete overhaul of how the public service is managed and does its business".