Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will now ask about RTÉ. Friday night and the massive success of the "Toy Show" reminded us just how important RTÉ is to everyone in this country. I grew up in two-channel land and I have a massive affinity and fondness for RTÉ. I want to see the very best for the station into the future. It shaped who I am culturally because we did not have any other legal radio or television until about 1996, although the radio came earlier all right. I remember the sound of Kerry County back in the 1980s when it did not have a licence. RTÉ holds a very special place in my heart. During last week's events in Dublin we saw quality reporting from RTÉ. It is so important in particular to address misinformation. The Middle East coverage lately by the RTÉ correspondents has been top class. I could go on.

Something that came to my attention last week was that in June, when all of this erupted, RTÉ made a decision to stop advertising the licence fee outside of RTÉ channels. How did it possibly come to that decision when the licence brought in €221 million in 2022? In the first six months of 2023 RTÉ spent €217,000 and then a decision was made to stop advertising outside of RTÉ platforms. Was the Minister aware that decision was taken at the time?