Vol. 542 No. 6
91 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. [25357/01]
As Deputies will be aware, under section 111(6) of the Postal and Telecommunications Services Act, 1983, as amended by Statutory Instrument No. 96 of 1998, my consent is required to the charging of a fee for such licences. The question of when the licences are awarded is a matter for the Director of Telecommunications Regulation.
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.
I can confirm that consultations in the matter are proceeding, and while it is regrettable that the process is taking this lengthy time, I assure the Deputies that I am committed to achieving an early and satisfactory resolution to this issue and I am satisfied that the Director is equally committed to this outcome.
