Results 13,021-13,040 of 28,162 for speaker:Catherine Murphy

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Broadband Service Provision: Discussion
BT Ireland (14 Feb 2019)

Catherine Murphy: The State owns the network.

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Broadband Service Provision: Discussion
BT Ireland (14 Feb 2019)

Catherine Murphy: The MANs essentially manage the network and have concessionary agreements to do so.

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Broadband Service Provision: Discussion
BT Ireland (14 Feb 2019)

Catherine Murphy: In the end we are concerned with ensuring the end user gets the best value for money and that it is possible to get the best value for money. I accept that we are talking to commercial entities today, which shows that there is a profit element involved as well, but if this system does not function properly it may have a bearing on the end user. Is that fair to say?

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Broadband Service Provision: Discussion
BT Ireland (14 Feb 2019)

Catherine Murphy: The Analysys Mason report, for which we have been waiting a long time, listed out a number of things that have been implemented. Mr. Evans has identified one thing, which he only saw change yesterday, which is down as implemented. Are other changes listed as delivered or implemented which he has not seen delivered yet?

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Broadband Service Provision: Discussion
BT Ireland (14 Feb 2019)

Catherine Murphy: I will move on to the national broadband plan.

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Broadband Service Provision: Discussion
BT Ireland (14 Feb 2019)

Catherine Murphy: It is the Analysys Mason report.

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Broadband Service Provision: Discussion
BT Ireland (14 Feb 2019)

Catherine Murphy: It is a review. It was the final report for the Department. A consultancy produced the report. It looks at the MANs.

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Broadband Service Provision: Discussion
BT Ireland (14 Feb 2019)

Catherine Murphy: It is a bit like one of these people who say "and here is one I baked earlier". That is not me. That does not reflect me at all. I have trouble finding the right dial on the oven, but that is neither here nor there. I happen to have the press statement from the Department. I completely concur with what Deputy MacSharry has said. It is really annoying when a report arrives the day before...

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Broadband Service Provision: Discussion
BT Ireland (14 Feb 2019)

Catherine Murphy: This is the critical question I want to ask. Can I go back to the metropolitan area networks, MANs, and the concession contracts that were extended. They were first issued in 2004 and 2009 and they were to run until 2019-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Broadband Service Provision: Discussion
BT Ireland (14 Feb 2019)

Catherine Murphy: -----and 2024, or something. It was decided to give an extension to an existing company without tendering. Would BT have been interested in tendering for those? Was Mr. Evans disappointed that there was not a tendering process for those?

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Broadband Service Provision: Discussion
BT Ireland (14 Feb 2019)

Catherine Murphy: The facility was available for the contract to be extended to the existing operator. That was done and there was a report-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Broadband Service Provision: Discussion
BT Ireland (14 Feb 2019)

Catherine Murphy: That was done by the Department. That report recommended the extension to that existing company. That company, and any other company making a bid if there had been a tender process, would presumably have had to demonstrate that they were going to invest and it was not just a question of managing what was there but expanding and investing in it. Is that Mr. Evans's understanding?

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Broadband Service Provision: Discussion
BT Ireland (14 Feb 2019)

Catherine Murphy: If there were a number of bidders, might it have produced an expansion? Might it have put more money into the expansion of the infrastructure?

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Broadband Service Provision: Discussion
BT Ireland (14 Feb 2019)

Catherine Murphy: BT was disappointed not to have that opportunity?

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Broadband Service Provision: Discussion
BT Ireland (14 Feb 2019)

Catherine Murphy: I do as well so I will try to be very quick with a few questions. BT expressed concerns to the Department way before the extension of the contracts about how the MANs were being run. Is that fair to say?

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Broadband Service Provision: Discussion
BT Ireland (14 Feb 2019)

Catherine Murphy: Did BT notice any change in its dealing with Enet either before or after the acquisition by Granaghan McCourt or was it pretty much a similar relationship all the way through?

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Broadband Service Provision: Discussion
BT Ireland (14 Feb 2019)

Catherine Murphy: I want to ask about the language in a lot of the documentation on broadband coverage, regions of the country and all this kind of stuff. There is a difference between passing the availability of a facility and the penetration of the facility. It gives the impression that there is a large take up. Cost and the 50% reduction is important from that point of view. Cost will be a determining...

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Broadband Service Provision: Discussion
BT Ireland (14 Feb 2019)

Catherine Murphy: Say BT has the MANs but there are other entities with broadband as well. It would be quite useful to have a full mapping service so we know what is available and also what the penetration is as opposed to what is there in theory, what is being taken up in practice and what the impediments to taking up broadband might be. Some of that has been addressed yesterday to some degree by a...

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Broadband Service Provision: Discussion
BT Ireland (14 Feb 2019)

Catherine Murphy: Yes.

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Broadband Service Provision: Discussion
BT Ireland (14 Feb 2019)

Catherine Murphy: It is all the more important that the MANs contract works effectively if that is the case.