Vol. 574 No. 1
186 Mr. Costello asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he will make a statement on the call for a substantial increase in the number of specialised radio stations by organisations such as the Specialist Radio Association. [26292/03]
The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland, which is an independent statutory body, has responsibility for the licensing of local radio services. I have no day-to-day role in this matter.
I am currently conducting a review of radio licensing in Ireland. The review will consider a range of matters relating to radio licensing, including the question of what is licensed.
Notwithstanding this, earlier this year, I asked the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland to consider the issue of diversity and, in particular, the issue of the provision of specialist radio services not currently available in the market when making decisions on licensing additional services.
