Various inquiries and preliminary contacts have taken place for some considerable time from communications related companies and from consultants to me and my Department concerning the intention to award a licence for a second operator of mobile telephony. The competition to select a licensee has not yet been initiated and there was no particular need to keep a record of contacts of the type described herein. I have separately invited, in accordance with EU procurement rules, expressions of interest in providing me with consultancy advice in evaluating eventual tenders for the licence. Twenty-one replies were received.