Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 12 Oct 2000

Vol. 524 No. 1

Written Answers. - Commission on the Newspaper Industry.

Breeda Moynihan-Cronin

Ceist:

13 Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the progress she has made in her consideration of the report of the Competition and Mergers Review Group of its examination of the report of the Commission on the Newspaper Industry; if she will implement the recommendations for changes in regard to media control; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21569/00]

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Ms Harney)

I asked the Competition and Mergers Review Group to advise me on how best to implement certain recommendations of the Commission on the Newspaper Industry. The recommendations referred to the review group concern: the factors to be considered in regulating changes of ownership of newspapers; an amendment to merger law to enable consideration to be given to the acquisition of control over newspapers by means other than the acquisition of shares; and the consideration of the issue of concentration of ownership on a media-wide as well as on a single media basis.

I published the report of the Competition and Mergers Review Group on 4 May 2000. The group, which was chaired by Mr. Michael Collins SC, made some 40 recommendations on a variety of aspects of competition and mergers legislation, the enforcement of competition law and the administration of mergers law.

Two of the 40 recommendations relate to newspapers and media and arise from the recommend ations of the Commission on the Newspaper Industry which reported in June 1996. The review group has recommended legislative changes so as to require the Minister, when considering a merger in the media sector, to consider certain criteria identified by the Commission on the Newspaper Industry.

The other recommendation relates to the issue of the acquisition of undertakings by means other than the acquisition of shares. The Competition and Mergers Review Group have recommended that the "control test" in the EU merger regulation be incorporated into Irish merger law.

I am positively disposed to the implementation of the recommendations in this matter and will be bringing proposals to Government shortly.

Question No. 14 taken with Question No. 11.