Comreg takes over website role

THE body responsible for controlling Irish-registered websites and email addresses has been stripped of its regulatory function less than a year after an investigation into alleged financial irregularities.

Communications minister Dermot Ahern said yesterday that communications regulator Comreg would take over the control and regulation of the .ie domain name, which indicates a website is based in Ireland.

Comreg will take over the regulatory function from the IE Domain Registry (IEDR), a not-for-profit independent organisation was set up in 2000. Its chief executive, Michael Fagan, resigned last October in advance of a disciplinary hearing. Mr Fagan was suspended in late 2002 pending an investigation into the financial management of the company. He was replaced by IEDR financial controller David Curtin.