‘We Can’t Prevent A Sale To A Reasonable Third Party’

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Fianna Fail TD and chair of the Public Accounts Committee Sean Fleming and Fergal Mulligan, programme director at the Department of Communications

This afternoon.

At the Public Accounts Committee where senior members of the Department of Communications are answering questions about the National Broadband Plan.

Fianna Fáil TD and chairman of the committee Sean Fleming had an exchange with Fergal Mulligan, programme director at the Department of Communications in which Mr Fleming mentioned the second mobile phone licence.

Sean Fleming: “The next question I want. The person who gets it, because this is very important ’cause when we come back to the communications area and we look at the second mobile phone licence issue, and we look at Eir, or Eircom, that was privatised and sold off and changed hands multiple times, right.

“So will the winner – whoever is the winner, we’ll call them a winner because they presume to make money – will they be able to sell that on? To somebody from China, or Taiwan? Will they be able to sell on the contract?”

Fergal Mulligan: “The way the contract works, the winning bidder, if they were to sell this, there are arrangements in place where, in the event of a sale, we can’t prevent a sale to a reasonable third party.

“But we would share any upside there might be for them in that sale, I won’t disclose what the upside is, but we’d also have to approve that, so it couldn’t go to an unsuitable third party.

“For example, I won’t go into what the definition of…I’ll leave that to the lawyers. But there are a lot of protections in the contract.”

Related: How Denis O’Brien made his fortune (The Guardian)

Earlier: Broadband Options

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4 thoughts on “‘We Can’t Prevent A Sale To A Reasonable Third Party’

  1. realPolithicks

    “For example, I won’t go into what the definition of…I’ll leave that to the lawyers. But there are a lot of protections in the contract.”

    I laughed when I read that, when they have the inevitable commission of inquiry on this issue at some point in the future I’m guessing we’ll discover just how many “protections” are actually in this contract.

  2. Dub Spot

    Why is everyone of these meetings populated by male, female, pale, and very STALE people in cheap suits and office wear. And what’s with the Lanyard around the neck. Are we supposed to be impressed? Why not get Department of Communications tattooed on your forehead. Does anyone in he Public Sector have a beard or is under the age of 45, going on 65?

    Sean and Fergal – it’s like a C&W gig…

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