Results 2,481-2,500 of 2,965 for speaker:Robert Dowds

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (7 May 2015)

Robert Dowds: To what extent will the remit of this committee have to be altered for us to consider something like the Siteserv issue? If that will be the case, then there is an argument for the remit to be examined for other matters.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
Chapter 8 - Operation of the Emergency Call Answering Service (7 May 2015)

Robert Dowds: I welcome Mr. Griffin and his team to the meeting. It is difficult to know where to start because the Department is so diverse and deals with such a variety of areas. I will begin with an aspect of its work which I regard as very important. I refer to the question of the roll-out of broadband services. I am fortunate in that I am an urban Deputy in Dublin so I am not as familiar with what...

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
Chapter 8 - Operation of the Emergency Call Answering Service (7 May 2015)

Robert Dowds: How much further progress will be made by this time next year?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
Chapter 8 - Operation of the Emergency Call Answering Service (7 May 2015)

Robert Dowds: Can Mr. Griffin give an indication of what new areas will be covered within a year?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
Chapter 8 - Operation of the Emergency Call Answering Service (7 May 2015)

Robert Dowds: Is it the intention to provide coverage for the maximum number of people in the first year of operation and then to move gradually to the more remote areas?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
Chapter 8 - Operation of the Emergency Call Answering Service (7 May 2015)

Robert Dowds: In terms of company selection, will the decision be based on who can roll out the programme quickest or on tender bid?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
Chapter 8 - Operation of the Emergency Call Answering Service (7 May 2015)

Robert Dowds: In regard to roll-out of broadband to second level schools, Mr. Griffin referred in his opening statement to a programme having been completed in 2014. The counties to which he referred in this regard are Dublin and its three surrounding counties. Am I to take it from that that delivery of second level school broadband for counties Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow has been completed?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
Chapter 8 - Operation of the Emergency Call Answering Service (7 May 2015)

Robert Dowds: What is the position in regard to the counties beyond the greater Dublin area?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
Chapter 8 - Operation of the Emergency Call Answering Service (7 May 2015)

Robert Dowds: This is an excellent programme that is absolutely essential given the world in which we now live. Presumably, as in the case of business and domestic customers, broadband coverage in the schools in remote areas is poor.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
Chapter 8 - Operation of the Emergency Call Answering Service (7 May 2015)

Robert Dowds: In some cases, the schools will have by far the best broadband service of any organisation in that area.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
Chapter 8 - Operation of the Emergency Call Answering Service (7 May 2015)

Robert Dowds: Does Mr. Griffin have any sense of how business is adversely affected by the delay in good broadband delivery to remote areas?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
Chapter 8 - Operation of the Emergency Call Answering Service (7 May 2015)

Robert Dowds: The Department would be as keen as possible to get this rolled out as fast as possible. Presumably Mr. Griffin will see that no stone is left unturned to ensure that.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
Chapter 8 - Operation of the Emergency Call Answering Service (7 May 2015)

Robert Dowds: I want to go on to some other areas.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
Chapter 8 - Operation of the Emergency Call Answering Service (7 May 2015)

Robert Dowds: May I move on to broadcasting? That is where the biggest tranche of money coming through the Department goes. A sum of €181.5 million goes to RTE and €33.7 million to Teilifís na Gaeilge. Does the amount they get vary according to what comes in from the broadcasting licence each year? That is my understanding.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
Chapter 8 - Operation of the Emergency Call Answering Service (7 May 2015)

Robert Dowds: By Vote-neutral, does Mr. Griffin mean there is no money coming from the general Government budget?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
Chapter 8 - Operation of the Emergency Call Answering Service (7 May 2015)

Robert Dowds: Does the Department do any monitoring of RTE? As the national broadcaster, are there criteria under which it has to operate to demonstrate it is broadcasting in the interests of the country in the widest sense, without having too much political control or whatever? There is always going to be tension between politicians of every hue and the media. Does the Department do any monitoring in...

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
Chapter 8 - Operation of the Emergency Call Answering Service (7 May 2015)

Robert Dowds: What happens if the BAI decides that coverage of a particular issue is unbalanced?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
Chapter 8 - Operation of the Emergency Call Answering Service (7 May 2015)

Robert Dowds: For example, when my party colleague, the previous Minister in the Department, criticised RTE over its coverage of the water issue, did the BAI intervene to see if his allegations were regarded as fair or not?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
Chapter 8 - Operation of the Emergency Call Answering Service (7 May 2015)

Robert Dowds: Can it issue a direction?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
Chapter 8 - Operation of the Emergency Call Answering Service (7 May 2015)

Robert Dowds: I would appreciate that.