Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy is right, in that the issue of ultimate ownership is one of those that requires to be determined. This relates to many of the other questions that have required to be addressed in recent months during the time when the Deputies opposite seem to believe that nothing was happening. There are issues of ownership of the network, the financing structure for the public investment, the legal framework, state aid implications in the EU context, etc. We are engaging in an analysis. The issue that the Deputy raises is a live one. We require further analysis before the Government is in a position to reach a determination on what is the most appropriate ownership model for the network at the end of the period. This is an important issue and I want all of its various aspects to be evaluated and considered before a final decision is made.

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