Vol. 435 No. 3
95 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications the role he has in facilitating the establishment of an Irish language television station; the work, if any, that has been done to date in developing this service; and when the service will be fully operational.
The primary function with regard to the proposed Telefís na Gaeilge rests with my colleague the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht who has responsibility for broadcasting policy matters generally. My Department's role would be confined to the licensing of radio transmission by the service provider. This involves the identification of the appropriate frequencies to be used by Telefís na Gaeilge and the method by which the signal is conveyed from the broadcasting station to the transmitter. In this regard my Department is in close consultation with the Department of Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht and with RTE and I am glad to be able to say that discussions are at an advanced stage with regard to the technical feasibility of the service. I have no function in regard to when the service might become fully operational.
