Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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560. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will review the sale of a company (details supplied); his views on the sale; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28078/16]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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While I am aware of the proposed purchase of Celtic Media, including the Anglo Celt newspaper, by Independent News & Media (INM), this matter is currently being considered by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) and, until the CCPC has made its determination in this case, I have no role in relation to the proposed transaction.

Should the proposed purchase receive clearance from the CCPC, it must then be notified to me as Minister.

Upon receipt of notification from the parties a phase 1 examination of the merger is carried out by my Department. This examination is guided by the relevant criteria laid out in the legislation and by the Guidelines on Media Mergers, both of which are available on my Department's website. Following this examination I have three options under the legislation, which are to allow the merger to proceed, to allow the merger to proceed with conditions, or to ask the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) to conduct a more in-depth, or phase 2, examination of the proposed merger.

If the latter is the case, then the BAI will, following its examination of the proposed merger, provide me with a report detailing its recommendations on the matter. It is also possible for me, as Minister, to establish an advisory panel to provide an opinion to the BAI on the application of the relevant criteria to the media merger in question. Following receipt of the BAI's report and recommendations, I must then make a decision either to allow the merger to proceed, to allow it to proceed with conditions or to refuse to grant my consent.

In accordance with the Guidelines on Media Mergers, my Department facilitates pre-notification meetings with the parties to a proposed media merger. The purpose of such meetings is to answer questions the parties may have about the media mergers process and the notification form. A pre-notification meeting was held with the legal representatives of INM and Celtic Media on 22 September 2016.

It would not be appropriate for me to provide further comment while this case is currently under consideration.