Results 20,021-20,040 of 33,581 for speaker:Catherine Connolly

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 Connolly: How were the concerns of BT taken on board?

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 Connolly: How were the concerns of BT taken on board in the Norcontel report? What was the mechanism for that to be done?

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 Connolly: BT was not allowed to speak to the consultants preparing the report that justified the extension of the contract without any open competition.

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 Connolly: That report reached a decision but no stakeholders were consulted and the market was not tested.

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 Connolly: BT cannot speak for other stakeholders.

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 Connolly: On the costs, some of BT's concerns were taken on board in 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 Connolly: In particular, there were concerns regarding pricing.

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 Connolly: The prices were published and available online but had not changed since the initial contract.

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 Connolly: BT is of the view that, given the nature of the business, the prices should have fallen.

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 Connolly: It was reduced by 50%.

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 Connolly: This begs the question as to whether, if the review had been done earlier and the committee met on this issue earlier, prices would have reduced and been published online sooner.

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 Connolly: The review made a number of recommendations which are currently being implemented by Enet, including a reduction in the maximum annual price of dark fibre by over 50% to €2.60 per meter.

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 Connolly: Before my time runs out I would like to go back to one last matter. When this was tendered originally, BT wanted to enter that process?

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 Connolly: Did I understand that BT was told at the time that it could not because of an operator? Can Mr. Evans clarify that for me?

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 Connolly: There is a question now as to whether there is a conflict of interest with the entity that actually won. That is the very thing that prevented BT from going in. The rules prevented BT from going in but the entity that got it-----

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 Connolly: When it became an operator in time, the rules applied.

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 Connolly: Therefore, there is a role for the regulator or for somebody else here. It can happen that somebody is not an operator at the time, they become an operator and then there seems to be conflict of interest. There is nobody in a monitoring position to say that matters have changed. Not alone that, but the contract was extended after that had become apparent.

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 Connolly: Were the witnesses aware that this has been with the Department since March last year?

Public Accounts Committee: Eir (14 Feb 2019)

Catherine Connolly: I thank Ms Lennon for coming before the committee. It is very helpful. There is no obligation on her and we appreciate it. Does Eir have figures on uptake and use?

Public Accounts Committee: Eir (14 Feb 2019)

Catherine Connolly: Eir is not publishing the figures because they are sensitive, but it has something in its business plan and targets to be achieved. What percentage did Ms Lennon give?