Vol. 514 No. 1
62 Mr. Bell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if the report of the review group on the newspaper industry has been finalised; if so, when it will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3489/00]
The Competition and Mergers Review Group, which was established by my predecessor, published a discussion document on certain issues relating to the newspaper industry in March 1999 and invited comments on their document by 30 April 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, CNI, dealing with competition issues.
These CNI 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.
This issue forms but one part of the wide-ranging work of the review group which has also published discussion documents on the law on mergers, general issues of competition law and the groceries order. When the review group has considered all of the comments of the interested parties, it will finalise its report on all matters covered in its terms of reference and submit it to me.
