Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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603. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the details on national sports television arrangement deals (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32081/17]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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The sale of the broadcasting rights of sporting events is a matter for the rights holder concerned and any broadcaster that may have an interest in purchasing those rights.

Section 114 (1) of the Broadcasting Act 2009 states the principal objects and associated powers of RTÉ and Section 118 of the Act states the equivalent objects and associated powers of TG4. Section 98 provides that both shall be independent in the pursuance of these objects, subject to the requirements of the Act.  The decision to purchase rights would be a matter for the individual broadcasters and I have no role in the matter.

The Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) provides that Member States may designate sporting and cultural events of major importance to society as free-to-air. At a national level, the Broadcasting Act 2009 sets out the statutory process for designating events as free-to-air.

Under the 2009 Act, I, as Minister, am obliged to review the list of designated events every three years. The purpose of the review is to consider the appropriateness of the current list of designated events and to examine whether to add any events of major importance to society.

The events currently designated by Order (S.I. 99/2003 since 2003) are as follows:

Live:

- The Summer Olympics

- The All-Ireland Senior Inter-County Football & Hurling Finals

- Ireland’s home and away qualifying games in the European Football Championship and the FIFA World Cup Tournaments

- Ireland’s games in the European Football Championship Finals Tournament and the FIFA World Cup Finals Tournament

- Ireland’s games in the Rugby World Cup Finals Tournament

- The Irish Grand National and the Irish Derby

- The Nations Cup at the Dublin Horse Show

Deferred:

- Ireland’s games in the Six Nations Rugby Football Championship

I have recently received approval from the European Commission to designate the All Ireland Senior Ladies Football and Camogie Finals as events of major importance and a draft order revising the list is currently before the Houses of the Oireachtas for resolution.

The Lisbon Treaty added Sport as an EU competency for cooperation between EU Member States and  this is a matter for the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport.