Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 164: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his policy on the impact of the digital terrestrial television switch over on Border counties and on the east coast; if agreement has been reached to provide RTE services to people in Northern Ireland following the switch over; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37118/08]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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It is my intention that Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) services will be available nationally by 2011 and that the analogue TV services will cease in 2012. The UK has a schedule to switch off analogue TV in different regions from 2008 to 2012 in favour of DTT. The switch off of the UK analogue services will impact on those in Ireland who receive the UK TV services via overspill from the UK. UK overspill is received along the South East of Ireland from Wales and in border areas from Northern Ireland. The UK Analogue Terrestrial TV services are expected to switch off in Wales in 2009 and in Northern Ireland in 2012.

In Ireland the development of DTT is under way. In 2007, the Broadcasting (Amendment) Act was enacted and this provides for RTÉ to develop a public broadcasting DTT service with space to carry RTÉ, TG4 and TV3. In addition, the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) ran a competition to provide commercial DTT services. Boxer DTT Ltd has won this competition and contracts are being finalised. It is expected that by the time the analogue services are switched off in Wales, Ireland will have launched Irish DTT services in the south east of the country.

Northern Ireland is due to switch to digital services in 2012. In this context the Irish and UK Governments have been discussing the issues of digital switch over and in particular, the potential for adopting a coordinated approach to switchover on both sides of the border. Good progress has been made in this regard and discussions are ongoing.