Results 7,081-7,100 of 35,131 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: 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.

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 should share some of the costs of putting up the fibre. While some of the customers might be Eir's own broadband customers, others may not necessarily be its customers. The full cost should not fall. Somebody has to work out the sharing of that fibre and who is going to benefit. If Eir is a beneficiary, unconnected with the provision of the national broadband plan, it should share 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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Seán Fleming: Is that new 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 presume the copper cable will come down.

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: Ultimately, Eircom will lose its cable network as the cable will be owned by the SPV that is running the broadband. Eircom will then be a customer of the SPV to get access to 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: I presume all of this is what the 1,500 pages are about.

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 its call.

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 witnesses can understand me asking.

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 the witnesses have acknowledged the criticism of the Department on two communications issues. It should have put out a statement when it extended the MANs contract. No one knew about it. It was also acknowledged that the Department should have published the Analysys Mason report much earlier. Will communication from the Department with responsibility for communications improve as...

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 only two here this morning. That is all I will say. Has the National Development Finance Agency had a role in the financing of this? It is meant to have a role in respect of every major capital project. What has been its role?

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: Is it advising the Department on the funding aspects of the final 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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Seán Fleming: Who decides when it is relevant? Is that the Department's call or the NDFA's?

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 discussed before that this will involve a great deal of construction work with 200,000 poles to be erected if this is to happen. Can the witnesses explain the issue of the derogation from the Government's contracts committee on construction projects? There will be a lot of construction contracts here. We had it with the children's hospital also where we were told this was a once...

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 will need clarification on this. We had detailed discussions about the national capital plan, the children’s hospital and the derogation. The public will not see the subtle difference between this, which is taxpayers’ money, State contracts and infrastructure, and the point that just because an SPV company has been established solely for these contract purposes that we are...

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 public would expect the same level of Government procurement rules. Do SPVs fall outside public procurement rules?