Vol. 476 No. 3
14 Mr. S. Brennan asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications if he will reconsider his decision to refuse to publish the report of experts on television deflector systems; if he will give details of the recommendations of the report; the action, if any, he proposes to take in this regard and the timeframe for his proposals. [6895/97]
I refer the Deputy to my reply to a Dail motion of 19 February last at the Adjournment of this House in which I clearly outlined my thinking on this matter.
The Deputy should know I do not have an expert report on television deflector systems. What was commissioned, and that which I received in the last few weeks, was a report from consultants appointed to carry out an analysis of an application by South Coast Community TV for a licence to operate their retransmission system.
I have not refused to publish the report in question. What I said in that debate was that, after forwarding a copy of it to the licence applicant, I would give consideration to the wider publication of its contents to interested parties before I make a final decision on the application.
The Deputy should also recall from my contribution to the debate that I said the report does not contain any decisions or recommendations on the main issues because the consultants were not asked to make them. All the decisions to be taken in these matters fall within my statutory remit.
This report is a complex document dealing with complex issues and it will take time to digest. The obligation on me now is to give due consideration to the South Coast application in the light of all the relevant issues, including those that are the subject of the report. My officials have already met representatives of South Coast to discuss the contents of the report.
It is important to stress that the report is the outcome of an examination of certain technical matters which bear on the South Coast application. These technical aspects are not the only aspects to be considered. It is my job to take all the relevant matters into account and to make a balanced judgement in the interests of Irish society as a whole.
