Proposals by the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Culture and the Gaeltacht to privatise RTE's transmission network, were condemned last night as "outrageous". Labour's education and science spokesman, Mr Michael D. Higgins, said the proposal was a "blow to the concept of national identity and national integrity".
The Labour TD said that under the proposal the national broadcaster would "effectively become a tenant on sufferance" in a system it built itself.
Speaking late last night on the adjournment of the Dail, Mr Higgins said the transmission system was built by the licence fee and not by direct State funding. Questioning the role of the advisers on the proposals, AIB Capital Markets, he called on the Minister to confirm that no other part of the company had any conflicting interest or was in any way involved in potential bids, if the network was to be sold to the highest bidder.