Results 6,521-6,540 of 34,585 for speaker:Seán Fleming

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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Seán Fleming: They will probably be monthly, weekly or regular payments-----

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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Seán Fleming: -----of the subsidy from the Department.

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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Seán Fleming: I am getting that. There will be a Government decision soon on whether to appoint a preferred bidder and this will be the next step. After that, there will be Oireachtas consultation, statements or whatever the process is. We will not decide that here. After that, a contract may be signed.

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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Seán Fleming: In recent years, we have had cases of preferred bidders being appointed for major projects for the State in PPPs. People have then changed their plans or approaches, or finance has no longer been available. Up to that point there is no liability to the State in terms of the costs incurred by the potential preferred bidder. The bidder carries the costs until the contract is received. ...

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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Seán Fleming: The Department will have to approve it if the successful bidder wants to sell on the contract. How about if the successful bidder wants to sell off some of the shares in ownership? They do not sell the contract, but there is a complete change of ownership of the bidder.

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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Seán Fleming: The sale of the contract was-----

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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Seán Fleming: I am distinguishing between the two.

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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Seán Fleming: I presume then if the Department approved it to a suitable major global player-----

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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Seán Fleming: It is the same obligation but, presumably, an onward sale means the Department loses control at that point.

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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Seán Fleming: On every onward sale.

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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Seán Fleming: Eircom changed hands several times. Did the State have control over the onward sales? People will ask these questions. Not the Eircom, the-----

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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Seán Fleming: In the interest of protecting the taxpayer, we do not want to find it sold to someone and this happening after the first sale. I give the following parallel. When a local authority sells a house to a tenant, it has to give consent for the first onward sale to ensure it is suitable but it then loses that right on subsequent sales. What I am asking about happens in the public service in Ireland.

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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Seán Fleming: Eir said here that it will be providing the 1.2 million poles and a lot of the infrastructure. It will probably make its money at that end of it even if it is not a final bidder. That is clear. Who sets the charge Eir can impose? Is it the regulator?

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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Seán Fleming: We have not been there yet because we have not had this contract, however. The regulator has not gone there.

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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Seán Fleming: I am not referring just to the cost of connecting to the Eir network. We are talking about a new network of fibre being put on the existing poles.

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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Seán Fleming: I think of another major utility, namely, Irish Water. I am not sure it is the same utilities regulator but the relevant regulator did not allow some of the costs incurred by Irish Water to be taken into account for passing on to the customer. The regulator considered that there were different levels of investment. Will that situation arise here in terms of the cost of providing the fibre?...

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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Seán Fleming: There is no problem with the current regime. We are in a new regime with this. It is a new fibre cable and the old pricing structure does not apply.

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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Seán Fleming: From a pragmatic perspective, the public like these questions. I will not go there but a senior person in the country thought these cables were going to be underground and did not know about the 1.2 million poles that will carry the fibre. Be that as it may, will Eir be able to replace its existing copper cables with this and rent back from the SPV the use of the fibre for its existing...

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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Seán Fleming: Will this be capable of wider use than just broadband? Will it be able to be used for telephones?

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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Seán Fleming: In other words, the entire cost of putting up the fibre for the broadband does not necessarily need to be included in the national broadband plan. Some of the cost incurred will have a benefit for Eircom.