Kate O'Connell (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Finally, and I am sorry I am keeping the Chair this late, according to the briefing we got, Eir should not have been required to establish a new company. I found that because I sit on the Committee of Public Accounts and I have been through this previously on a number of occasions. My understanding was Eir was a larger company, Open Eir, and it had all sorts of parts selling other bits and bobs. Would there not have been an issue there if that company, with business to its name other than the roll-out of broadband, was selling phones or whatever? Would the State subsidy, potentially, in a private company situation, be pulled off to pay a pension, etc.?