Results 15,061-15,080 of 28,162 for speaker:Catherine Murphy

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 Murphy: I thank the witnesses for coming in and I am sorry if they were delayed, although it might be the same for each group. As time is short, we might go forward and backwards with the questions and answers, and I might get fairly snappy answers, if possible. I picked up on the part of the opening statement that referred to ComReg. I looked at the Analysys Mason report that was published...

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 Murphy: What were those concerns?

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 Murphy: Irrespective of which company was running the MANs contract, if it had a wholesale element and a retail element they would have to be clearly separated. It is fair to say that.

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 Murphy: The BT representatives reckon that this issue is more or less addressed 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 Murphy: Is anything outstanding? The report says that elements have been implemented so there has obviously been a dialogue between the Department, the people who produced the report, and the company. The report says that elements have been implemented. Have the elements relating to these concerns been fully implemented or are some things outstanding?

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 Murphy: The State owns the network.

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 Murphy: The MANs essentially manage the network and have concessionary agreements to do so.

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 Murphy: In the end we are concerned with ensuring the end user gets the best value for money and that it is possible to get the best value for money. I accept that we are talking to commercial entities today, which shows that there is a profit element involved as well, but if this system does not function properly it may have a bearing on the end user. Is that fair to say?

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 Murphy: The Analysys Mason report, for which we have been waiting a long time, listed out a number of things that have been implemented. Mr. Evans has identified one thing, which he only saw change yesterday, which is down as implemented. Are other changes listed as delivered or implemented which he has not seen delivered yet?

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 Murphy: I will move on to the national broadband plan.

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 Murphy: It is 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 Murphy: It is a review. It was the final report for the Department. A consultancy produced the report. It looks at the MANs.

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 Murphy: It is a bit like one of these people who say "and here is one I baked earlier". That is not me. That does not reflect me at all. I have trouble finding the right dial on the oven, but that is neither here nor there. I happen to have the press statement from the Department. I completely concur with what Deputy MacSharry has said. It is really annoying when a report arrives the day before...

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 Murphy: This is the critical question I want to ask. Can I go back to the metropolitan area networks, MANs, and the concession contracts that were extended. They were first issued in 2004 and 2009 and they were to run until 2019-----

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 Murphy: -----and 2024, or something. It was decided to give an extension to an existing company without tendering. Would BT have been interested in tendering for those? Was Mr. Evans disappointed that there was not a tendering process for those?

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 Murphy: The facility was available for the contract to be extended to the existing operator. That was done and there was a 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 Murphy: That was done by the Department. That report recommended the extension to that existing company. That company, and any other company making a bid if there had been a tender process, would presumably have had to demonstrate that they were going to invest and it was not just a question of managing what was there but expanding and investing in it. Is that Mr. Evans's understanding?

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 Murphy: If there were a number of bidders, might it have produced an expansion? Might it have put more money into the expansion of the infrastructure?

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 Murphy: BT was disappointed not to have that opportunity?

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 Murphy: I do as well so I will try to be very quick with a few questions. BT expressed concerns to the Department way before the extension of the contracts about how the MANs were being run. Is that fair to say?