Vol. 563 No. 5
192 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he will continue to take all actions possible to ensure that major sporting fixtures are protected from pay for view schemes; if his attention has been drawn to the strong public support for his position; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8453/03]
The Broadcasting (Major Events Television Coverage) Act 1999 (Designation of Major Events) Order 2003, which was signed by me on 13 March 2003, designates a range of sporting events as events of major importance to society which should, in the public interest, continue to be made available on Irish free television services. A copy of the order is available in the Oireachtas Library. In accordance with Article 3a of the Television Without Frontiers Directive, the designation order will only have legal force after the European Commission has published a notice of the measures which Ireland has taken in the Official Journal of the European Communities. The Commission has indicated that a notice will appear in the journal shortly.
In addition to the designation order, I have recently published a Bill designed to strengthen the 1999 Act to ensure that the events included in the designation order will continue to be made available to qualifying Irish broadcasters. The Bill passed all Stages in Seanad Éireann on 11 March 2003. It is expected that Second Stage of the Bill will be taken in Dáil Éireann next week.
