Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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449. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if his Department's officials have a role in media ownership and diversity policy formation. [43638/17]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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The Media Mergers process was created as a result of amendments made to the Competition Act 2002 by the Competition & Consumer Protection Act 2014. All media mergers must be notified to me as Minister, and I must make a determination whether or not the proposed merger may proceed based on an assessment of its impact on the plurality of media in the State.

This process cannot be applied retrospectively and only concerns proposed transactions.

The amendments to the Competition Act also require the BAI to prepare a report every three years which describes the ownership and control arrangements for media businesses in the State; describes changes to ownership and control arrangements over the previous three years, and analyses the effect of those changes on the plurality of media in the State.

The first such report "Report on Ownership and Control of Media Businesses in Ireland 2012-2014" is available on my Department's website along with full details of the Media Mergers process.

Separately the Broadcasting Act requires the BAI to ensure the provision of open and pluralistic broadcasting services; to promote diversity in viewpoint, outlet and source, and to promote diversity in control of the more influential commercial and community broadcasting services.

One way in which the BAI achieve these goals is to assess licence applications and proposals for ownership and control changes under the BAI ownership and Control Policy 2012. Further information regarding the work of the Authority can be found on its website.