[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Newspaper article from the Irish Times



Peter,
The newspaper article below may be of interest to members of the Society of American Archivists Listserv, I thought that I might forward it to you, and you can see if it merits inclusion. The URL is http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2000/1013/hom33.htm

All the best
Kieran Hoare

Irish Times
Friday, October 13, 2000 

Century Radio letters missing from Govt files 



------------------------------------------------------------------------


FLOOD TRIBUNAL: A number of letters about Century Radio and RTÉ transmission charges were missing from the official Government files, the Flood tribunal heard yesterday.

Mr Michael Grant, assistant secretary at the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, told the tribunal he could not find a 1989 letter from Mr Ray Burke, then minister for communications, to Mr Justice Seamus Henchy, who was the IRTC chairman at that time. 

He also said that he had no record of two letters written by Century Radio director Mr James Stafford to Mr Burke in 1990. 

Mr Grant was assistant secretary at the Department of Industry, Commerce and Communications when Mr Burke was communications minister. 

The letter from Mr Burke to Mr Justice Henchy concerned the transmission fees being charged by RTÉ to Century Radio. In the letter, Mr Burke told Mr Justice Henchy that, at his "strong urging", RTÉ had agreed a reduction in transmission charges from £692,000 to £614,000. 

Asked by Ms Nuala Butler, for the tribunal, if this letter should have been in the Departmental file, he said "there was no reason why it wouldn't be in the file".

The tribunal then heard of two letters written by Mr Stafford to Mr Burke on February 26th and April 18th, 1990. In the letters, Mr Stafford emphasised the importance of a cap on RTÉ's advertising to ensure the survival of Century Radio

Mr Grant told the tribunal that he had not found either letter on the Department's files. Ms Butler also asked why Mr Oliver Barry would have received a secret report on the future of the local radio sector.

The report, by a team of independent consultants, was drawn up for the interim Local Radio Commission in the mid1980s. It was marked "strictly private and confidental" and was to be seen only by the communications minister, his Department and the interim Local Radio Commission.

Mr Grant said he could see no reason why any member of his Department "had any reason to even know or contact Mr Barry".

The tribunal also heard how Mr Burke had rejected a proposal from his civil servants to make him accountable to a proposed advisory committee.

Mr Grant said senior civil servants had drawn up a briefing note for Mr Burke when he took over as minister for communications in March 1987. In it they suggested that he should use existing legislation to remove pirate stations and replace them with legal local stations.

They advised Mr Burke to set up an advisory committee to issue the licences so that he could not be accused of abusing his position. They also said he should explain his reasons for rejecting the committee's advice. Mr Burke told them he agreed with the suggestion on legislation but rejected the suggestion that he should explain himself. 


Kieran Hoare, Archivist
Archives Service
James Hardiman Library
National University of Ireland
Galway
Telephone no.:  091.524411 ext. 3636
Fax no.:        091.522394
e-mail:         kieran@sulacco.library.nuigalway.ie

A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!

To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to listserv@listserv.muohio.edu
      In body of message:  SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
                    *or*:  UNSUB ARCHIVES
To post a message, send e-mail to archives@listserv.muohio.edu

Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html

Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>