Results 18,561-18,580 of 32,978 for speaker:Catherine Connolly

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)

Catherine Connolly: At that point, issues were raised by people in respect of the MANs and transparency. We were told that there were issues. Did it not occur to the Department at that stage to look at the bigger issues given what was raised in this report which was published this year? It was on Mr. Griffin's desk since 2018 and issues were raised previously. Why did the Department not include all 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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Catherine Connolly: I understand 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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Catherine Connolly: I understand the context. Within the Department's processes, would what subsequently emerged in the Mason report not have been clear? It raised serious issues. It mentions a number of options and recommends one. It talks about a lack of transparency with prices and lack of openness and makes very specific recommendations. Were they not all obvious back in 2016?

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)

Catherine Connolly: The Department has an obligation under the contract and service agreement.

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)

Catherine Connolly: The Department has to get reports every quarter.

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)

Catherine Connolly: I have read it. I only have a few minutes.

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)

Catherine Connolly: Improving the transparency of pricing is essential, as is ensuring non-discrimination between ETNL and other Internet providers. There was difficulty with separation between two sister companies. There are four options. One is to separate them completely and it does not go down that road. There were very clear issues. They are not just minor issues or areas for improvement. They are all...

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)

Catherine Connolly: Notwithstanding the issues, it is more about how it looks when the report is not published and the prices suddenly drop by 50% on the day of publication.

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)

Catherine Connolly: The point that I am making badly is that arrangements in place, whether through the concession agreement or service-level agreement, should be able to capture those issues quicker and not in the manner that they have been captured.

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)

Catherine Connolly: I am just watching the clock. I do not mean to be rude but I want to ask a number of questions. Mr. Griffin can address the improvements in the Chair's time. I would love to hear them and I am sure the Chairman would be delighted to give Mr. Griffin all the time in the world. With regard to the NBP, is there a cost-benefit analysis?

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)

Catherine Connolly: Have they been 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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Catherine Connolly: When was it 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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Catherine Connolly: I understand it was not published. So, to be clear, what 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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Catherine Connolly: Okay. There have been many cost-benefit analyses. The Department has published one which has been redacted. Have others been 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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Catherine Connolly: Why have they not been 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 (Resumed) (28 Mar 2019)

Catherine Connolly: The cost-benefit analysis tells us what is the cost and benefit of broadband. Has the version that the Department published provided all of that with regard to the cost and quantitative analysis of the benefits?

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)

Catherine Connolly: No.

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)

Catherine Connolly: I am asking if it has been published and our guests are indicating that it has but that some parts have been redacted.

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)

Catherine Connolly: When I look at that, I will not be able to see why broadband-----

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)

Catherine Connolly: There is something not quite right with doing a cost benefit analysis and then it not being available. There are many other cost benefit analyses because clearly, that is right. Things change and the map reduces as somebody pulls out. There is no cost benefit analysis for us or the public to see, however. I am going to park that for the moment. When the cost benefit analysis was done,...