The Minister for Communications has told the Dáil that the Government did not offer Eircom a deal worth €1.8 billion to extend the country's broadband network.
Noel Dempsey said that the Government was not in the business of entering into such deals with individual companies.
He was replying to Labour TD Tommy Broughan, who referred to newspaper reports that Eircom rebuffed approaches from the Government to improve the availability of high-speed Internet access.
Mr Dempsey said that there had been no negotiations, and that the company did not rebuff a package.
