Vol. 496 No. 3
84 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if her attention has been drawn to the litigation at EU level between An Post and Telecom Éireann in relation to Internet issues; the efforts, if any, her Department has made to resolve this dispute; and who will bear the cost in the event of a penalty being imposed on Telecom Éireann. [22195/98]
The dispute to which the Deputy refers is a matter for the companies concerned and, if necessary, the appropriate regulatory or competition authorities to resolve. While my Department did encourage the companies to try to find a solution which would be acceptable to both parties and meet competition rules, obviously this has not proved possible to date. The Director of Telecommunications Regulation has offered to meet both companies with a view to achieving a suitable resolution.
I should stress, however, that I do not perceive the dispute in an entirely negative light. It does demonstrate that there is real and healthy competition between the companies and, ultimately, this is in the best interests of consumers.
It would be premature to talk about the imposition of penalties by the EU at this stage and, in any event, this is an area in which, self evidently, I have no statutory function. Nevertheless, if any such costs do arise they would have to be met by the company concerned.
