Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 March 2017
75. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he has reached a decision on whether to grant permission for a company (details supplied) to purchase a media group; and his views on the concerns raised in the recent public consultation on the matter. [13889/17]
View answerFollowing approval by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, notification of the proposed merger referenced in the question was received by me as Minister on 21 November 2016. I had 30 working days from the notification deadline of 24 November 2016 to conduct an initial, or Phase 1, assessment of the case on media plurality grounds.
This examination was guided by the relevant criteria laid out in the legislation and by the Guidelines on Media Mergers, which are available on my Department's website. The examination process laid out in the legislation and the Guidelines requires consideration to be given to a number of important criteria or measures, including diversity of ownership in the relevant media sector and in the wider media market, editorial management, governance structures, and the financial standings of the parties to the proposed merger.
On completion of this Phase 1 examination, I decided on 10 January 2017 to request the BAI to conduct a full media merger examination of the proposed transaction. The BAI will, following its examination of the proposed merger, provide me with a report detailing its recommendations on the matter within 80 working days from the date of my request. Furthermore, in accordance with the legislation, I established an advisory panel to provide an opinion to the BAI on the application of the relevant criteria in the legislation to the media merger in question.
On receipt of the BAI's report and recommendations, I have a further 20 working days within which I must make a final determination to allow the proposed acquisition to proceed; to allow the proposed acquisition to proceed with conditions; or to refuse to allow the proposed acquisition to proceed.
It would therefore not be appropriate for me to comment on this case while the examination is ongoing.
