Results 8,361-8,380 of 11,359 for speaker:Matt Carthy

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
Chapter 9 - Remediation of Landfill Sites (14 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: I thank our guests for being here. I want to touch on the national broadband plan again. The €3 billion contract is for the delivery of high-speed broadband to 542,000 rural homes and businesses. On what date does the Department expect the 542,000 home to be connected?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
Chapter 9 - Remediation of Landfill Sites (14 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: I will discuss this year and next year but what is the final target?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
Chapter 9 - Remediation of Landfill Sites (14 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: I will come to that. So the original target for this year was 115,000 connections.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
Chapter 9 - Remediation of Landfill Sites (14 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: That was revised-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
Chapter 9 - Remediation of Landfill Sites (14 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: -----to 60,000. Am I correct that the Secretary General has now informed us that the figure has been revised to 50,000?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
Chapter 9 - Remediation of Landfill Sites (14 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: So 60,000 remains the target for this year?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
Chapter 9 - Remediation of Landfill Sites (14 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: To date, what is the number of connections that have been made this year?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
Chapter 9 - Remediation of Landfill Sites (14 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: This work was deemed essential throughout Covid. I gather from earlier statements by the Secretary General that close contacts within the workforce carrying out this work were actually responsible for the Covid-related delays with the roll-out. Is that correct?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
Chapter 9 - Remediation of Landfill Sites (14 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: Does the Secretary General know how many outbreaks there were among NBI crews?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
Chapter 9 - Remediation of Landfill Sites (14 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: It is also a matter for the tens of thousands of people who thought that they were going to be connected to the plan this year but who are not.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
Chapter 9 - Remediation of Landfill Sites (14 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: The Secretary General mentioned that a British company outsourced. Do we know what percentage of the works have been outsourced to the company that was not in a position to travel over?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
Chapter 9 - Remediation of Landfill Sites (14 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: Is it because the company is not now being used?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
Chapter 9 - Remediation of Landfill Sites (14 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: The Secretary General will appreciate that we, in turn, will scrutinise the Department's scrutiny of them.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
Chapter 9 - Remediation of Landfill Sites (14 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: Next year's target is quite concerning considering that we are way beyond the original target for 2021. Next year's target has been revised down from 90,000 to 84,000 connections. It appears to me that Government statements are relying heavily on the figure of 130,000 homes and businesses across this year and next year as the overall target. What is the actual target for connections for...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
Chapter 9 - Remediation of Landfill Sites (14 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: Am I correct to say that the company has established 84,000 connections and the Department is establishing 70,000 connections as the target for next year?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
Chapter 9 - Remediation of Landfill Sites (14 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: The original target for next year was 90,000.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
Chapter 9 - Remediation of Landfill Sites (14 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: There has been a change. The new revised targets are about half of the original targets in terms of the homes and businesses that will be connected this time next year.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
Chapter 9 - Remediation of Landfill Sites (14 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: What happens if the company does not deliver 130,000 by the end of next year? What is the penalty?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
Chapter 9 - Remediation of Landfill Sites (14 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: I want to clarify this in my own head. The Department sits down with the company, it says what it can achieve and the Department sets this as a milestone.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
Chapter 9 - Remediation of Landfill Sites (14 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: Has it been hit with any delayed payment so far?