Vol. 482 No. 2
34 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands if her attention has been drawn to the proposal by a person (details supplied) for a new Irish television station; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17390/97]
I refer the Deputy to my answer to Questions Nos. 205 and 211 of 14 October 1997. As indicated in that reply, contacts between the person in question and my Department have been ongoing since January of this year regarding his proposals to establish an Irish based cable-only music television channel. I met the person in question on 8 October 1997 in order that he could brief me personally on the proposal. In the course of considering the proposal, my Department consulted the Independent Radio and Television Commission (IRTC) as a matter of courtesy. The Independent Radio and Television Commission asked me to defer a decision until they had the opportunity to meet and discuss the matter with me.
I had a meeting with the chairman and members of the Independent Radio and Television Commission yesterday, 22 October 1997, at which this matter was discussed. I will make my decision when I have considered all the relevant issues associated with this proposal.
