Results 4,301-4,320 of 11,187 for speaker:Colm Burke

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Cost of Living Issues (13 Oct 2022)

Colm Burke: 60. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when cost-of-living payments scheduled before Christmas 2022 will issue to recipients; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50532/22]

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)

Colm Burke: I thank all our guests this morning for their presentations. I was recently at an event celebrating Deputy Bruton’s 40 years in the Dáil. The first parliamentary question he ever submitted was on whether a particular constituent of his was going to get a telephone connection. The constituent had been waiting for more than three years for a connection. It looks like we are now...

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)

Colm Burke: Sorry, but I know of places where the nearest access point is 20 miles away. I raised this with Cork County Council and it said there was no more funding and that it was not going to get involved any further, meaning the issue was written off. I am saying we have a substantial delay. A large number of people who now want to work from home are prevented from doing so and have to travel 20...

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)

Colm Burke: I ask that this aspect be reviewed. I congratulate everybody involved in rolling out fast-tracked connections for schools. Now is the time to do the same for community hubs. Due to the impact of Covid-19 and of having to work from home, some people have been greatly frustrated and experienced many difficulties. Many people with young children now also want to work from home more so they...

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)

Colm Burke: My second issue is also one I have raised before. I refer to the frustration in those areas which are borderline amber and blue. The blue areas are those where commercial entities are doing the connections. I have been told about several such situations in the last week alone. There is one area where the box that Eir has put in place is at the end of an avenue leading to a farm. That...

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)

Colm Burke: When are we likely to have a decision on this aspect? It has been stated it will be by the end of the year, but when can the process of implementing the connections then start? Are we talking about February and March, or later?

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)

Colm Burke: The commercial operators' argument would be that NBI is getting so many thousands of euro per connection, whereas if those operators do the connections they will not. If those commercial operators have any additional costs, they will not get any more remuneration. I think this is their big argument for not doing these connections. It is extremely important that we try to expedite this...

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)

Colm Burke: Regarding the figures we have for the number of premises to be connected, there are 537,000 premises, 1.1 million people, 54,000 farms, 44,000 non-farm businesses and 700 schools. We have dealt with the schools issue. In the next month or two, can we get a breakdown of the numbers of premises connected? There is a difference between premises connected and the availability of services to...

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)

Colm Burke: With regard to the issue of contingent liabilities on page 19 of the published report, will the officials give an update on any ongoing legal proceedings which will add to the contingent liabilities that arise? What kind of moneys are we talking about? Where are we on that issue? The other issue is of liabilities that have arisen in 2022. Is there contention to those liabilities? What...

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)

Colm Burke: Is there any issue that has arisen in the past 12 months in respect of which we may end up before the European court? Are there any such issues of which Mr. Griffin is aware that should be brought to the attention of the committee?

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)

Colm Burke: Is a fine likely to be imposed because of-----

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)

Colm Burke: We have a 30-month period from the time the matter goes through the Commission, the Council and the Parliament for transposition.

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)

Colm Burke: The issue is that we are falling outside that timeline. Do we need to put mechanisms in place to make sure-----

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)

Colm Burke: How many items have not been transposed?

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)

Colm Burke: Are there two or three of them or------

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)

Colm Burke: Okay. Have timelines been set for the transposition of those items?

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)

Colm Burke: As regards contingent liabilities in the context of claims, the HSE recently appeared before the committee and an issue relating to the State Claims Agency was discussed. If every case was settled tomorrow morning, it would work out at approximately €4.2 billion. A significant portion of that relates to medical negligence. In the context of Mr. Griffin's Department, what is the...

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)

Colm Burke: I accept that Mr. Griffin cannot give a figure.

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)

Colm Burke: It might be helpful to the committee if we were provided a breakdown of where moneys were paid out in respect of claims up to 31 December 2021 so that we can have an idea of the extent to which the Department has had to make such payouts.

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)

Colm Burke: We get those figures all the time in the context of the health sector but we are not getting them from in respect of other Departments. As I stated, the rough estimate by the State Claims Agency of the overall figure is €4.2 billion, which is taxpayers' money. It is important that every Department keep us advised of the liabilities that are arising and when agreements are reached....