Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 18 Jun 1998

Vol. 492 No. 6

Written Answers. - Radio Broadcasting.

Liz McManus

Ceist:

142 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands if she has satisfied herself, as a matter of broadcasting policy, that RTE appears to assume that its licence for long wave 252 will be renewed in 1999 although it no longer controls the management of that frequency. [14705/98]

Liz McManus

Ceist:

143 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands her views on whether the use of the long wave 252 frequency should be a matter of a public competition which would take account both of cultural matters and of the impact of the use of that frequency on local and national radio stations in Ireland. [14706/98]

Liz McManus

Ceist:

144 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands if a guarantee of renewal of the 252 licence in 1996 was given by the Minister for Communications to RTE in 1992 when RTE sold the control of 252 to a foreign multinational. [14707/98]

Liz McManus

Ceist:

145 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands if her attention has been drawn to the reports that a multinational company (details supplied) is being offered up to £40 million for its 80 per cent stake in Atlantic 252; and if she has satisfied herself, as a matter of broadcasting policy, that the management of an RTE licence can be traded privately in this fashion. [14708/98]

Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands (Miss de Valera)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 142, 143, 144 and 145 together.

I refer the Deputy to the reply given to Question No. 255 on 27 February 1996, which was answered by the then Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications.

In 1992, at the time when RTÉ decided that it wished to reduce its stake in the station to 20 per cent, RTÉ was informed that the then Minister for Tourism, Transport and Communication was prepared to licence RTÉ to operate on the frequency up until 1999, subject to certain conditions including that the agreement between RTÉ and CLT guaranteed that responsibility for programme content rested solely with the RTÉ Authority, regardless of the fact that it would be the minority shareholder. The authority is responsible for ensuring that the service complies with the relevant provisions of the Broadcasting Authority Acts.

I understand that the licence in respect of Atlantic 252, which forms part of the RTÉ licence, was extended to 1999. The issue of licences to the RTÉ Authority in respect of the transmitters which it operates and the frequencies which it uses is now a matter for the Office of the Director of Telecommunications Regulation. I should say that, in 1992 the RTÉ Authority was informed by the then Department of Tourism, Transport and Communications that an application for a further seven year licence after 1999 in respect of Atlantic 252 would be considered as favourably as possible in the light of circumstances prevailing at the time.

I have not seen any evidence that the Atlantic 252 station has had a significant impact on the local and national radio stations in Ireland and I have no plans at present to seek to change the existing arrangements. I have no function with regard to the activities of the majority shareholder in Atlantic 252.