Broadband Options

Secretary General of the Department of Communications Mark Griffin; Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane

This morning.

At the Public Accounts Committee.

Secretary General of the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment Mark Griffin is answering questions about the National Broadband Plan.

Waterford Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane asked Mr Griffin if he’s “confident” that the NBP will go ahead.

Mr Griffin paused before saying:

“Well, let me put it to you this way, I’m confident with that the project, as presented, will deliver on all of the Government’s objectives.

“The decision to proceed or not to proceed is a Government decision so I can’t say anymore than that. I am not the decision maker…”

Mr Griffin said the Minister for Communications Richard Bruton will be bringing a recommendation on the plan and this recommendation will be based on an assessment process.

Mr Cullinane then asked if there are “a number of options” contained within that assessment process “including, potentially, not proceeding”.

Mr Griffin said:

“The focus of the work has been on evaluating the bid that has been put to us. In fairness to Government, it would be important to us to point out the implications of not proceeding. And it would be important to us to do some assessment of what other options might be available, if the Government decides not to proceed.”

Mr Cullinane asked, again, if the option of “not proceeding with the plan” been examined and is it one of the options that was contained in the overall assessment.

Mr Griffin said: “The assessment process will have to deal with that.”

UPDATE:

Unaligned Independent TD Catherine Connolly is currently grilling officials on the cost evaluation reports of the broadband plan. After being told an evaluation was published in 2015, she asks if it was in full. Answer: Redacted. Second answer: Substantially redacted. #PAC

— Fiachra Ó Cionnaith (@Ocionnaith) March 28, 2019

Ms Connolly continues to q Dep of Communications officials on the cost benefit analysis of the broadband plan, and is eventually told there are multiple reports left unpublished. The reason officials give is that the “maps” for the project keep changing, so cost is updated #PAC

— Fiachra Ó Cionnaith (@Ocionnaith) March 28, 2019

After Dep sec gen Mark Griffin says these reports are “commercially sensitive”, Ms Connolly says: “There is something not quite right with doing a cost benefit analysis and then that not being available. There’s no cost benefit analysis for the public to see and us to see… #PAC

— Fiachra Ó Cionnaith (@Ocionnaith) March 28, 2019

Ms Connolly: “… The analysis originally was all wrong, wasn’t it?”

An official responds by saying the “original” cost benefit analysis in 2015 was “absolutely correct in 2015”.

“Ms Connolly dead-pans: “Oh, and then in January 2016 it was wrong, is that it?”#PAC

— Fiachra Ó Cionnaith (@Ocionnaith) March 28, 2019

Watch the proceedings live here

Previously: Smells Wiffy

‘An All-Too Familiar Vista In Major Communications Contracts’

A ‘Robust’ Tendering Process

‘Too Often In Ireland We Ask The Pertinent Questions After The Fact’

‘543,000 Families And Businesses Do Not Care What Name Is On The Side Of The Van’

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