Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

At least we now have some dates. On 26 January, the House got the same answer from the Minister in terms of the process, in that he hoped it would conclude as soon as possible. It is not encouraging for the myriad of industries that depend on a decision. It will be almost impossible for RTE to pay for the roll-out of free-to-air DTT services unless it has a revenue stream from a commercial service using the infrastructure RTE has put in place. Originally, they were to be paid for and used by Boxer, but that deal collapsed. Since then, the Minister has backed a process whereby the next tender after Boxer, OneVision, would try to do a deal with RTE. However, this has not occurred.

As I asked in January, has the Minister set a timeframe with the BAI, RTE and OneVision to conclude their negotiations? What will be the Minister's response if the relationship between RTE and OneVision breaks down to such an extent that a commercial proposition does not come from OneVision?

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