The government has been accused of dragging its feet over implementing plans to give the whole island access to high speed broadband.

Ayre and Michael MHK Tim Baker reacting to news that a tender process had not yet started, cast doubt on whether the Department for Enterprise could meet a pledge to have 100% coverage by October 2023.

’The department has gone slower, it has been harder and, to date, we haven’t yet got a tender process out,’ he said.

Enterprise Minister Laurence Skelly insisted: ’We have seen other jurisdictions who have tried to rush this and got it very wrong - cost them a lot of money.

’While I would certainly like it faster, I would certainly want to keep a very tight timeline, I think it is important that we do get this right.’

He added: ’I hope to issue a statement regarding the timescales for delivery in the very near future with a partner secured and network deployment started by the end of the year.’

Proposals for a national broadband plan were approved by Tynwald a year ago and Mr Skelly said the aim was ’all-inclusive island where all our people and businesses have access to new high speed broadband networks’.

Under the plan, the government is to determine its ’preferred partner for delivery of ultrafast broadband fibre through an open market process’.

Mr Skelly said timescales were ’tight’ but that the tender exercise would begin in the coming weeks.

’The final model to deliver the award process has been agreed and was developed through extensive discussions with industry and telecoms tender experts,’ he said.

Mr Baker, in a jibe aimed equally at Chris Thomas, accused Mr Skelly of ’adopting the Minister for Policy and Reform’s language’, with references to the ’near future’ and ’coming weeks’.

’It does not really give me the confidence that I was looking for,’ said Mr Baker.