asked the Minister for Communications the measures, if any, he is taking to ensure that subscribers to cable television are not compelled to pay for satellite channels which they do not want; if he will ensure that subscribers will be allowed to opt out of satellite television without being penalised; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

43.

asked the Minister for Communications the way in which he proposes Cablelink should charge customers for the provision of new satellite channels that are now at the end of their trial period.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 and 43 together.

Under the statutory regulations governing cable television systems, a cable operator may not increase his charges without the prior consent of the Minister. It will be a matter for cable television companies who propose to offer satellite or other additional services on a continuing basis following the end of the experimental period to put their proposals — including their charging arrangements — to me and these will be considered on their merits.

While I do not wish to prejudge any proposals that may be put forward, I have already put on the record of this House my preference that any additional charges that might be proposed should be levied on the basis that only those who wish to receive the additional services will be required to pay. That is recorded in the Official Report of 27 May 1987, Volume 372, columns 2882 and 2883.

Will the Minister indicate whether he has considered the report of the Consumers' Association of Ireland which was published recently, and whether he has anything to say in response to that association and their findings in this regard?

I received a copy of a submission from the consumers' association and it will be taken into account in the overall decisions that have to be made before the end of the year in relation to the future of this service.

Has the Minister sought or obtained any details on the costing of providing an opting out? Will he accept that it would be relatively cheap to provide the set top converter that would allow opting out for people who did not wish to pay?

That is being examined. Opt out/opt in or a variation of it would allow that some of the cable companies might as part of their normal service provide a number of satellite stations free as an additional part of their service to their customers and then for specialised services, such as film, art or other programmes, have a charge basis for an individual opting in if desired. That is the mix I am looking at at the moment.

Is not the central point that it would cost too much to have an opt out? Has the Minister got figures he could provide us with now as to how much it would cost to give the individual an option to opt out so that we can look at this offer?

The whole question of whether it should be on an opt out basis is something that has to be decided. I do not have the individual figures but I do not see it as a great deterrent, the type of deterrent that the cable company would like me to believe it is.

Question No. 6.

Was the Minister advised or consulted in regard to the notice shown in today's national newspapers in the television columns——

When one has to deal with 50 questions one does not get time to read the television columns.

——specifically in relation to what appears to be Cablelink's proposals for a subscriber opt-out?

It is not a question of what is in the papers, it is a question of decisions having to be taken. The decisions will be taken by the Government in relation to the future of satellite and cable TV.

Can I take it that what appears to be a unilateral notification by the Cablelink company to national subscribers in the television columns today is something of which the Minister was not aware, and could not be applied until the Minister agreed?

I am not aware of it.