Skip to main content
Normal View

Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 3 May 1989

Vol. 389 No. 5

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - RTE-Cablelink Involvement.

13.

asked the Minister for Communications if he will give an assurance that he has no interest in RTE repaying their outstanding Exchequer advances save to honour existing commitments in the event of RTE disposing of any of their interest in Cablelink Ltd.; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

28.

asked the Minister for Communications if he will give an assurance that any funds arising from the sale of any interest in Cablelink Ltd. by RTE will remain with the RTE Authority to be utilised for the development of RTE as decided by the RTE Authority and himself; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 28 together.

As indicated in my reply to questions on the possible sale of Cablelink on 20 October 1988 — columns 412 to 419 of the Official Report — I am of the view that it would be premature to comment on the deployment of any funds that might be generated by the possible sale of this company.

Can the Minister confirm that it is the intention of the RTE Authority to dispose of Cablelink and that already feelers have been put out? I am aware of one organisation in particular who are interested, the Allied Irish Investment Bank, a subsidiary of the Allied Irish Bank, of which the Chairman of RTE is a director. Would the Minister not agree that in this case there is an element of insider trading involved? The Chairman of the RTE Authority who is also a director of the Allied Irish Bank is offering this very valuable asset to that company.

It is quite outrageous that such accusations should be made against a man who is not here to protect himself today.

It is factual. The Minister is here to defend him.

He is a man who has served this country well as Chairman of the RTE Authority and in various other positions. I have checked the position in relation to the RTE Authority and when items in relation to Cablelink are discussed the chairman excludes himself from all such discussions, in the event of there being any suggestion whatsoever of a conflict of interest.

From the meetings?

He removes himself from the discussions in relation to Cablelink and has specified that that is so. It is outrageous that a man whose integrity has never been called into question outside of this House should be accused in this manner within the privilege of the House. This man has served the country well in his very difficult role as Chairman of the RTE Authority and has brought the company to their present financial strength.

That is not an answer.

I have from time to time asked Members to have regard to the fact that reflection should not be made on people outside the House. This is a privileged assembly and those people have no redress against accusations or reflections made upon them in this House.

What is the point of having privilege if we do not use it?

Will the Minister indicate to the House how many companies have been approached by the RTE Authority to know if they were interested in Cablelink?

The RTE Authority have made no decision to sell Cablelink at this stage.

They have put out feelers.

They have put out feelers around the world. I have been informally notified, and I am aware from the number of companies that have come to me from abroad requesting information as to the Government's view on this matter, that companies from Europe, America and Ireland are interested in the valuable asset that Cablelink is.

I want to get to finality on this question.

It has been stated that some feelers have been put out. I have asked the Minister a direct question: how many companies have actually been approached, not how many companies made inquiries. I am not asking about inquiries. Some companies have been approached by RTE regarding the sale of Cablelink and I would like to know who these companies are.

Cablelink are a commercial company and I would suggest that the Deputy ask them.

In the course of the Minister's reply he indicated that he had been contacted to give a Government view in relation to this matter. What view did he indicate as to the sort of framework that will regulate the exercise of this Cablelink monopoly should it be sold by RTE?

My main concern in relation to the sale of Cablelink is to protect the very extensive investment by the taxpayers in Telecom Éireann. I want to ensure that, if it is decided to sell Cablelink, whoever secures that company will not be in a position to establish an alternate communications network. I want to ensure that they would not be in a position to carriage phone services and so on, which an upgrading of Cablelink would allow, but rather to carriage television services. I am determined to ensure that no damage will be done to Telecom and that has been my main guiding principle.

Top
Share