The former minister for communications, Mr Ray Burke, told the Flood tribunal that he had never discussed with either Mr Oliver Barry or Mr James Stafford the transmission costs Century Radio would incur as a result of using RTÉ’s transmission facilities.
Mr Burke also denied any knowledge of a brief that was prepared for him by Mr Stafford in 1988.
Mr Pat Hanratty SC, counsel for the tribunal, showed Mr Burke a fax from Mr Stafford to Century Radio’s technical advisor, Prof Ray Hills, in which Mr Stafford had prepared a brief for Mr Burke in relation to negotiations between Century and RTÉ over transmission costs.
The brief stated that RTÉ were looking for £1.25 million while Mr Stafford’s assessment was that anything over £375,000 would be a contribution to RTÉ.
Mr Burke told the tribunal that he had no idea why Mr Stafford would prepare a brief for him as he had never asked for one.
He said that apart from one meeting with Mr Stafford in February 1989 he had no recollection of any other meeting with Mr Stafford in relation to transmission costs.