Vol. 426 No. 3
10 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment when he expects to receive the final report of the Telecom Inspector; if in view of the concerns expressed by the Inspector, regarding the circumstances of the acquisition by Telecom Éireann of the Cablelink office in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, he will now extend the Inspector's mandate to cover this purchase; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The Deputy will be aware that the Inspector's Interim Report was published on 31 July 1992. The Inspector has been continuing his investigation and in that regard has conducted inquiries not only at home but also abroad, with the permission and co-operation of the relevant authorities. The Inspector is still not in a position to be definitive about when he can conclude his inquiries and finally report to me. The House can be assured that no effort is being spared to bring matters to finality.
With regard to the acquisition referred to by the Deputy, the Inspector, in his Interim Report, stated that he believed that the acquisition required examination to satisfy the Board of Telecom that it was a bona fide arm's length transaction. As the Deputy is probably aware, the Telecom Board privately commissioned a report of their own into the matter, which they published on 16 September 1992.
The Deputy will appreciate that I am not in a position to consider what further action might be taken on this matter until the Inspector has completed his current inquiries.
