Thank you for the opportunity to raise a very serious issue for the people living in the south coast area. I understand that a transmitter was put in place by RTE in Cahir, which was made fully operational last Wednesday. It is interfering with the rebeaming process carried out by the South Coast Community Television group. The RTE transmitter is blocking out the main source of signal coming into the Carrigaline area, an area which stretches from Mitchelstown to Fermoy down to Carrigaline, and from there to Kinsale, Bandon, Clonakilty and Bantry. This is a significant area, involving a large number of people. There is a suggestion that it may also be affecting the Dungarvan group. What has happend in effect is that BBC 2 has been blacked out completely and I am also given to understand there is interference with the reception on the HTV and BBC 1 signals.
The Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications, Deputy Lowry, and his Department were made aware almost one month ago that the making of this transmitter fully operational would have these consequences and yet he or the Department failed to take any steps to avoid the disruption in service. The people of Fermoy, Carrigaline, Bantry and Clonakilty, County Cork, are of the opinion that there has not been a change in the thinking of the Department of Transport, Energy and Communications. They accuse the Minister of engaging in a charade and trying to delude those communities.
The question being asked is how is it that RTE never interfered prior to this with the operation of South Coast? A more than adequate RTE signal is already available in this region. Is this action designed to make the case which was the subject of recent High Court proceedings, that South Coast Community Television is interfering with the spectrum within which RTE operates? How is it this hindrance occurred within one month of Minister Lowry giving an undertaking that South Coast could continue to operate unhindered by his Department? How is it this operation was not delayed until such time as the independent assessment group had considered and advised this concern on the submission of its licence application in line with the commitment given by Minister Lowry in the Dáil? Is there such a divergence of dictate between Minister Lowry and the Secretary of his Department, given that the Secretary claimed at a recent meeting of the Committee of Public Accounts that the onus is on South Coast to devise a mechanism outside the present spectrum whereas Mr. Justice Keane in the High Court adjudged that the onus was on the Department of Transport, Energy and Communications to devise such a mechanism for the legal operation of South Coast on the same lines and mechanisms as they had put in place for the MMDS system?
I refer the Minister to a meeting, attended by a large group of people that took place at Carrigaline, County Cork, before the Cork South-Central by-election. At that meeting the Taoiseach made a clear statement that he saw no difficulty in granting South Coast Community Television a temporary licence. He said it could be done immediately and the licence could cover two or three years. Two years on the Taoiseach and the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications have failed to deliver on that promise. The Taoiseach also stated that night that there was no need for a High Court action, that everything would be resolved when Fine Gael went back into Government under his leadership. The High Court action was at great cost to South Coast Community Television. The company is in debt to the tune of £500,000 as a result of the action and the Taoiseach is not living up to his promise.
Is it any wonder, therefore, that there is concern among the people at the shabby treatment meted out to them? Is it any surprise that they have lost all trust and faith both in the Taoiseach and, indeed, in the Minister who have betrayed them? The blocking out of their signal is the last straw and the ultimate in bad faith. It is contrary to Mr. Justice Keane's verdict in the High Court action. On behalf of the people in the communities which stretch from Mitchelstown to Bantry, County Cork, I ask the Minister to rectify the problem immediately and live up to at least one of the promises given to this group so that all faith will not be lost in the political system and the promises made prior to elections.