Results 281-300 of 1,974 for speaker:Arthur Spring
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of National Lottery: Discussion (11 Mar 2015)
Arthur Spring: Rural broadband is a big issue on a number of fronts.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of National Lottery: Discussion (11 Mar 2015)
Arthur Spring: May I ask a question on that point?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of National Lottery: Discussion (11 Mar 2015)
Arthur Spring: Do we know how much the previous technical system cost for An Post to run and do we have a comparison with the cost of the more recent technical system?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of National Lottery: Discussion (11 Mar 2015)
Arthur Spring: I welcome the delegates. If anybody at home is watching this meeting, he or she will, unfortunately, have a very negative perception of the lottery. However, I will give the delegates an opportunity to explain some of the things that are going right with the lottery. My first question is to Mr. Griffin. People argue that the transition from An Post to PLI has not been seamless. Will he...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of National Lottery: Discussion (11 Mar 2015)
Arthur Spring: That is similar to what we did in the case of voting machines. They worked perfectly, but we chucked them out anyway. Was PLI buying the licence or the operations as well as the licence?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of National Lottery: Discussion (11 Mar 2015)
Arthur Spring: Everyone was compelled to include in a bid new technical systems.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of National Lottery: Discussion (11 Mar 2015)
Arthur Spring: Many of us could have done with that point being clarified today. When PLI's bid was being evaluated, was a technical weighting given to its proposed systems or was the consideration driven purely by the €405 million offer?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of National Lottery: Discussion (11 Mar 2015)
Arthur Spring: Was the suite of technology PLI is now using known at the time of the bid? Was the bid assessed using a points or weighting system that compared it with other bids or was the decision made on a purely monetary basis, that is, the top bid wins?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of National Lottery: Discussion (11 Mar 2015)
Arthur Spring: How did the system of proving technical capability work?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of National Lottery: Discussion (11 Mar 2015)
Arthur Spring: Who assessed it?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of National Lottery: Discussion (11 Mar 2015)
Arthur Spring: Neither the Department nor Davy Corporate Finance would have analysing technical data as one of its core competencies. Did they outsource it or did they bring in someone?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of National Lottery: Discussion (11 Mar 2015)
Arthur Spring: Obviously, it sanctioned PLI's bid as being technically capable at that point.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of National Lottery: Discussion (11 Mar 2015)
Arthur Spring: Mr. Griffin has not had an easy time at this meeting. The retailers and their organisations pointed to a problem with perception. As politicians, we suffer such problems more than anyone else. There is a belief the process is not working as well as could be for PLI, the retailers and customers. Does PLI have plans to address this perception?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of National Lottery: Discussion (11 Mar 2015)
Arthur Spring: That had to do with the good governance of the country and its economic recovery.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of National Lottery: Discussion (11 Mar 2015)
Arthur Spring: Of course, we do. PLI might help us if we help it.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of National Lottery: Discussion (11 Mar 2015)
Arthur Spring: Turnover has increased. PLI had forecast a strategic cashflow. Is it in line with its projections? Is it happy with performance?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of National Lottery: Discussion (11 Mar 2015)
Arthur Spring: How will PLI overcome the problems with perception? It is doing something about it today, but the retailers are unhappy. PLI stated the self-check system would be in place by the end of April. Is a diplomatic offensive necessary if retailers are to come back on board?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of National Lottery: Discussion (11 Mar 2015)
Arthur Spring: I am happy to hear it. It gives Mr. Griffin tacit knowledge and lets him know what is happening. I am glad that he understands that if the customer and the retailer are not happy, PLI will not make money and the groups that usually benefit from the lottery will not benefit. I have a question for the regulator. In the event that consumer confidence is eroded to the point where there is a...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of National Lottery: Discussion (11 Mar 2015)
Arthur Spring: Will Mr. Sloyan elaborate on the key drivers in that regard?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of National Lottery: Discussion (11 Mar 2015)
Arthur Spring: Has Mr. Sloyan stepped in yet to protect the lottery's good name?