Team had ‘hard argument’ over time given for licence award

FORMER civil servant John McQuaid, a member of the team that selected the winner of the State’s second mobile phone licence competition nearly eight years ago, told the Moriarty Tribunal yesterday there was “a fairly hard argument” on whether more time was needed to improve the draft evaluation report two days before the result was made public.

This argument took place on October 23, 1995, as the project team held its final meeting to approve the report, two days before Michael Lowry as minister for communications announced the Denis O’Brien-led Esat Digifone consortium had beaten five other bidders to gain exclusive rights to negotiate for the licence.

Project team chairman Martin Brennan and his colleague, Fintan Towey, from the communications division were arguing that the report be finalised, while Sean MacMahon and Ed O’Callaghan, who were attached to the department’s regulatory division, wanted a deferral in order to further examine matters.

Mr McQuaid, a technology consultant now in private practice, agreed he and other team members who were unhappy with the text of the report went to department secretary general John Loughrey seeking more time. In a handwritten note, Mr MacMahon recorded his unhappiness with the presentation of the draft report.

Tribunal chairman Mr Justice Michael Moriarty said it was hoped to complete hearing the evidence of the GSM2 project team before the Easter recess on April 14.