Results 4,761-4,780 of 10,862 for speaker:Matt Carthy

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General - Chapter 9: Implementation of the National Broadband Plan (13 Oct 2022)

Matt Carthy: The target for seven years is 54,000 farm premises.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General - Chapter 9: Implementation of the National Broadband Plan (13 Oct 2022)

Matt Carthy: Am I correct in stating there are no annual milestones in respect of farm premises associated with the contract?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General - Chapter 9: Implementation of the National Broadband Plan (13 Oct 2022)

Matt Carthy: Apart from the fact that farms have a particular need, because they are operational businesses, to be able to source high-speed broadband, such a target would be indicative because one of the fears this committee and others have expressed is that NBI is, perhaps, moving ahead with the low-hanging fruit, so to speak, such as clusters of dwellings and other areas where there might be large...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General - Chapter 9: Implementation of the National Broadband Plan (13 Oct 2022)

Matt Carthy: I am not suggesting we would do that. The contract and the associated publicity clearly outlined a target of 54,000 farms, so I presume there is a way of measuring whether that is being done. I am not suggesting NBI is bypassing the neighbours of farms, but this would be useful information to have.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General - Chapter 9: Implementation of the National Broadband Plan (13 Oct 2022)

Matt Carthy: That is 7,000 of 54,000 premises, so it is not very high.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General - Chapter 9: Implementation of the National Broadband Plan (13 Oct 2022)

Matt Carthy: That information is available and it could be shared. An answer to my next question might also need to be included in the note from our guests. Mr. Griffin referred to rural, semi-rural and suburban premises. Of the premises that have been passed to date, is there a breakdown of the numbers within each of those three categories?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General - Chapter 9: Implementation of the National Broadband Plan (13 Oct 2022)

Matt Carthy: What is the current connectivity rate of premises that have been passed?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General - Chapter 9: Implementation of the National Broadband Plan (13 Oct 2022)

Matt Carthy: I am not surprised there is a high uptake in Cavan-Monaghan, but a lot of people who have high-speed broadband passing by their homes have still not been connected. Has the Department or NBI carried out an assessment, whether through surveys or other methods, to identify why well over half of those premises that are being passed have not been connected?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General - Chapter 9: Implementation of the National Broadband Plan (13 Oct 2022)

Matt Carthy: Is that not a failure on the part of NBI?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (13 Oct 2022)

Matt Carthy: In the first instance, we should welcome the fact that there has been some movement and that some of the money that was lost to the taxpayer has been recouped. The Comptroller and Auditor General should be commended on highlighting this issue, as well as the members of the previous committee and this current committee, who have been dogged in pursuing the issue. At the end of the day, there...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (13 Oct 2022)

Matt Carthy: I support the proposal that the committee write to the HSE. The correspondent makes what I would consider to be very serious allegations that we, as a committee, must take seriously. The person states that it was known to the Department of Health that some section 38 and 39 organisations were insolvent. In the first instance, it is important that we get whatever evidence for that is...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (13 Oct 2022)

Matt Carthy: Any other business.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (13 Oct 2022)

Matt Carthy: Yes. Like myself and others, I am sure that the Chair will have been surprised to read in this morning's Irish Independentabout the latest fiasco in which An Bord Pleanála has found itself. Ironically, delays in strategic housing development, SHD, applications are leading to fines being imposed on An Bord Pleanála. We are told that they are now in the region of €1 million.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (13 Oct 2022)

Matt Carthy: I do not know whether we have decided to invite An Bord Pleanála to appear before us again. Is a meeting on our work programme?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (13 Oct 2022)

Matt Carthy: So many issues have arisen since it was last before us that we should try to expedite another meeting.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (13 Oct 2022)

Matt Carthy: In the meantime, I suggest that we write to seek an explanation for the fines and to see whether an additional outlay is expected. In previous engagements, we have spoken about the amount of money that has been lost by An Bord Pleanála in terms of judicial reviews and other legal actions. Now we find that a further €1 million is being expended because of its failure to deal with...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (13 Oct 2022)

Matt Carthy: Every time the board does not deal with an SHD application within the specified timeframe, the developer gets €10,000 from it. This situation is reaching the point where the entire process is insulting to the Irish people.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (13 Oct 2022)

Matt Carthy: In the meantime, may I propose that we write to An Bord Pleanála to ask for a written briefing on this issue?

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (13 Oct 2022)

Matt Carthy: 31. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the intended timeframe to introduce legislation underpinning the provision of pensions to carers. [50586/22]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Oct 2022)

Matt Carthy: 84. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she intends to amend the income disregard, the eligibility criteria and the schemes which attract the disregard in the means test, for the farm assist scheme. [50587/22]