Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

Under the media provisions of the Competition Act 2002, my role as the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment involves consideration of media mergers in the context of the "relevant criteria" set out in section 23 (10) of the Act. These criteria essentially relate to diversity and plurality, the strength and competitiveness of the media businesses indigenous to the State and the dispersion of media ownership among individuals and other undertakings.

In 2008, my predecessor, the Minister, Deputy Micheál Martin, initiated a review of the legislative provisions applying to media mergers. This was aimed at examining the criteria and arrangements for considering and assessing how a proposed merger might affect the diversity of views and the concentration of ownership within and across media businesses.

The media merger advisory group was established to assist in this review, which was undertaken as part of my Department's wider review of the operation and implementation of the Competition Act 2002. My Department is currently considering the recommendations contained in the advisory group's report. It is my intention to bring forward legislation during the course of this year which will reform aspects of competition law, including with regard to media mergers and which will also implement the merger of the National Consumer Agency and the Competition Authority as announced in October last year.

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