Vol. 536 No. 4
21 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Finance when he expects to make a decision on the request submitted to him by the Director of Telecommunications Regulation for approval of the licence fee to be charged for the third generation of mobile phones; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14236/01]
50 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Finance if he has had negotiations with the Director of Telecommunications Regulation regarding licence fees for third generation mobile phones; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11330/01]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 21 and 50 together.
As the Deputy is aware, under section 111(6) of the Postal and Telecommunications Services Act, 1983, as amended by Statutory Instrument No. 96 of 1998, my consent to the charging of a fee for such licences is required. The question of when the licences are awarded is a matter for the Director of Telecommunications Regulation.
I can confirm that I have received a request for my consent to certain fee proposals from the Director of Telecommunications Regulation and that I met with the director in that regard on 21 February 2001. The licence fees to be charged were not finalised at that meeting. I am awaiting further contact from the director, with a view to finalising this matter as soon as possible.
In fulfilling my statutory responsibility I will be concerned to ensure that the fees paid adequately reflect the value of the licences issued, taking account of the non-financial obligations involved in the licence terms, and of the importance of third generation mobile telephony to the development of the telecoms infrastructure in Ireland.
