Mr. John Purcell:

No; it would underwrite what we are doing at present. If a fund were established, it would put us in a position in which we could guarantee that we could continue to provide the services that we are all celebrating and that we have been providing for 25 years. Such a fund would also allow us to enhance our services and provide coverage of greater depth. As the Deputy pointed out, we sometimes operate on very scarce resources and with an extremely limited research capability. The provision of a fund would enable us to provide more comprehensive coverage. Failing the establishing of a fund, the appalling vista could be consolidation and regionalisation. As Mr. Williams will attest later, there is a Heart radio station in every town in the UK. The shows on these stations are syndicated from a base in London. We are of the view that it would be appalling if such a model developed in Ireland. We cannot guarantee that the latter will not happen unless drastic action is taken.