Vol. 491 No. 3
384 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands when she will provide a fund of £500,000 for the development of the independent radio network and for the setting up and maintenance of transmission sites for local radios as promised in An Action Programme of the Millennium; if the fund is to be an annual contribution; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11798/98]
385 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands when she will abolish the 3 per cent levy on local radios; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11800/98]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 384 and 385 together.
I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question No. 58 on 27 November 1997, Question No. 1 of 5 February 1998 and Questions Nos. 72 and 78 of 7 May 1998.
The issues raised in the Deputy's questions will be addressed in my proposals for comprehensive broadcasting legislation which I hope to submit to Government by mid-year. For the Deputy's information I, once again, met a delegation from the Association of Independent Radio Stations on 23 April last in the course of which these issues were discussed and the current position explained.
