Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his plans to introduce legislation to prevent one person from having a large percentage ownership of Irish media; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43733/12]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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As the Deputy will be aware, a Government Decision was made at the end of May last year, on foot of a submission by my colleague the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, to draft a new Consumer and Competition Bill. Part of that decision involved giving effect in legislation to the recommendations of the Report of the Advisory Group on Media Mergers, and to transfer responsibility for public interest considerations from the Minister of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to myself. A series of discussions were held at Ministerial and official level on this subject, both before and after the Government Decision, and contacts are ongoing on the matter.

Primary responsibility for promulgating the Consumer and Competition Bill 2012 rests with the Minister for Jobs Enterprise and Innovation. I understand that the Consumer and Competition Bill 2012 is one of a number of Government Bills currently being drafted, and that it is likely to be later in the year before a draft Bill is published and brought before the Oireachtas. The critical role of the media in our democracy, and the potentially harmful effects of an over concentration of media ownership, means that this issue is a vitally important one. The Government remains committed to implementing a set of robust measures that allow for a transparent and objective assessment of the public good in media mergers cases, and to do so as quickly as possible.