Mr Ray Burke has denied that he rushed legislation through the Dail to favour Century Radio. The legislation, which was became law in July, 1990, placed a cap on RTE's advertising revenue. Mr Patrick Hanratty SC, for the tribunal, asked why Mr Burke had steered through the legislation so quickly.
The government was keen to pass the legislation before the summer recess, Mr Burke said. "The will of the government made it urgent."
Mr Hanratty also claimed Mr Burke had made some "extremely serious allegations" in the Dail about RTE without basis. During the Dail debate on the legislation, Mr Burke had said RTE was involved in below-cost selling of advertising and it had an "excessively dominant" position. Where did the basis for the claims come from, Mr Hanratty asked. Mr Burke said it had come from complaints from the National Newspapers of Ireland, Century Radio and others. "I had been briefed accordingly and the government took the action and brought forward a piece of legislation as governments are entitled to do."
Mr Hanratty pointed to RTE's rate cards which showed increases when Century was on the air. "I'm suggesting to you that no effort of any kind was made by you or by anybody in your Department to establish whether or not RTE were in fact selling below cost or had ever done so."
It was a government decision, Mr Burke said. Mr Hanratty suggested Mr Burke's comments were "simply parroting" the allegations of Mr James Stafford, co-founder of Century Radio. "I reject that totally," Mr Burke said, adding that Mr Stafford was totally dissatisfied with the legislation because he wanted Mr Burke to "wipe out" RTE.
Mr Hanratty said accusations of political cronyism and corruption were levelled at Mr Burke during the Dail debate. "Well, there were all sorts of suggestions about all sorts of things," Mr Burke said. Such allegations were not rare during debates.
