Vol. 477 No. 5
334 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications the current situation in relation to acquiring agreement on a frequency with Northern Ireland for the transmission of Telifís na Gaeilge in the Foyle area of County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9654/97]
As the Deputy will know, international agreements make it obligatory for countries which lie within a certain geographic range of each other to agree, beforehand, the precise use of proposed frequencies for broadcasting. This process is known as the co-ordination of frequency usage. The objective is to minimise the scope for interference to a transmitting station which might otherwise be caused by transmissions in another jurisdiction. Therefore, agreement must be reached between my Department and the UK Radiocommunications Agency with regard to the frequency referred to by the Deputy. Negotiations are ongoing and I am hopeful that the matter will be resolved in the near future.
