PAC to examine Dept of Communications, Climate Action & Environment accounts

Committee Chairman Seán Fleming said: “ The Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment has a broad remit and is responsible for developing and implementing policies for the management and protection of the State’s energy supply, natural resources, communications, broadcasting services and  postal services. Among the areas we will examine tomorrow are spending on broadband, energy research programmes, landfill remediation and the grant to RTÉ for broadcasting licence fees.

Expenditure under the National Broadband Plan was considerably less than anticipated. Given that readily and widely available high-speed broadband has been identified as a national priority for the economy, any delay to the implementation of the National Broadband Plan is concerning and an issue of national importance. We will want to know the reasons for the delay in procurement process and what effect does the extended procurement process have on the timeframe for the implementation of the National Broadband Plan.

The grant to RTÉ in 2016 was €6.4m less than the estimate because TV licence receipts were lower than anticipated. The €6.4m shortfall on estimate represents 40,000 licences at €160 per licence. While recognising that the grant to RTE is vote neutral, we will want to know the basis for anticipating that an extra 40,000 licences would be sold in 2016.

Expenditure on the Renewal Heat Incentive Programme was not initiated in 2016 due to delays in finalising a detailed consultancy report and the Committee will want an explanation for these delays. In terms of landfill remediation, expenditure in 2016 was €5.4m less than estimate because these projects often require multiple statutory consents and may also be involved in complex legal cases. Again, the committee will be keen for the Department to elaborate on these cases.”

This PAC meeting will start in Committee Room 3 at 9am on Thursday, 9 November 2017.

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