Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 22 Jun 1999

Vol. 506 No. 5

Written Answers. - Newspaper Industry.

Michael Noonan

Question:

38 Mr. Noonan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she has received the report from the newspapers review group; if so, if she will publish this report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15763/99]

Nora Owen

Question:

85 Mrs. Owen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she has received the report from the newspapers review group; if so, if she will publish the report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15862/99]

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Ms Harney)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 38 and 85 together.

The Competition and Mergers Review Group, established by my predecessor, published a discussion document on the newspaper sector on 3 March 1999. I had asked the group to take account of and advise me on how best to implement certain recommendations of the commission on the newspaper industry dealing with competition issues. The recommendations concern the factors to be considered in regulating changes of ownership of newspapers, an amendment to merger law to enable consideration to be given to the acquisition of control over newspapers by means other than the acquisition of shares and the consideration of the issue of concentration of ownership on a media wide as well as on a single media basis.

The competition and mergers review group invited comments on its document by 30 April 1999.

This issue forms but one part of the overall work of the review group. In July 1998 the review group published a discussion document on mergers and work continues on their wider consideration of competition policy. When the review group has assimilated and considered all the comments of the public and interested parties it expects to submit its final report and recommendations to me later this year.