Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move:

That Dáil Éireann:

recognises that:

— a vibrant, diverse, financially sustainable and independent media sector is critical to any well-functioning democracy;

— the Future of Media Commission Report published in 2022 recommended that the funding model for public service media change from the current system of funding by the television licence fee combined with general Exchequer funds to a funding model based entirely on general Exchequer funds; and

— financial scandals at Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ) have rocked people's trust and confidence in the national broadcaster and the television licence;

notes with concern that approximately 13,000 people were summoned before the courts last year for not purchasing a television licence, while no one has been held to account for the incredible waste of public money at RTÉ; and

mandates the Government to:

— scrap the unfair television licence fee with immediate effect;

— invest Exchequer funding in a platform-neutral Media Fund which would support public service media content production and the activities of commercial, local and community providers along with RTÉ and TG4; and

— introduce a legal amnesty from prosecution for those who have not paid their licence fee.

I thank members of the media and the Committee of Public Accounts, particularly my party colleagues Deputies Brian Stanley and Imelda Munster, for the Trojan work they have done to this day in exposing the scandals at RTÉ and assessing the recommendations of the report of the Future of Media Commission.

It is vital that we frame this Private Members' motion in the context of the current public atmosphere. What transpired over the summer was nothing short of a scandal. It was not just one scandal but a number of scandals. It has destroyed public confidence and trust in the management of RTÉ and exposed serious shortcomings, including a lack of governance and accountability, many of which remain unresolved to this day. This lack of accountability arose in a number of scandals, none more so than Toy Show The Musical. This fiasco, which was not given board approval, went on to lose €2.1 million. To make matters worse a recent report found that even if every date for the show had been sold, there would still have been losses. One does not need to be a shrewd business person to know that this kind of business model is unbelievable.

Where do we go from here? The numbers paying their TV licence fee are dropping and the amount of Exchequer funding required to keep RTÉ operating is creeping up. It is deeply frustrating that it is not clear where we go now. The Government published the report of the Future of Media Commission. It took almost one year to analyse it and two years before taking any action. It still has not been implemented. One of the key recommendations of the report is that we move from a TV licence fee model to direct Exchequer funding. The report recommended that for public sector broadcasting to be sustainably funded, it would need to be funded through the Exchequer. This was before any scandal in RTÉ. The commission saw that the TV licence model was not the way to go. After all of these scandals, TV licence payments have dropped off a cliff. The recommendations of the report are credible. Experts put in time, sat down, evaluated the situation and made their recommendations. Deputy Doherty and I, and our colleagues in Sinn Féin, are bringing forward this Private Members' motion because if the Government does not act, it is up to the main Opposition party to do so.

We published this policy yesterday. I did a radio interview earlier today with Matt Cooper during which Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan criticised Sinn Féin. I pointed out that we have a policy and asked him where the Government's policy is. The Government has had the commission's report for more than two years and still does not have a policy in this regard.

The Taoiseach criticised me earlier, saying our policy was comical but he does not have a policy. The hypocrisy of the man is unbelievable. The Government should support us because this is the right thing to do. Instead of chasing people through the courts to pay their TV licence, we propose that direct Exchequer funding be provided to fund RTÉ, TG4 and public sector broadcasting by community and local radio stations and Virgin Media. This would be done by implementing the Future of Media Commission's recommendation that funding be multi-annual and set over four years. Coimisiún na Meán would propose the level of funding and a Minister would not be able to change it save in exceptional circumstances. This would ensure the integrity and independence of the media.

Last year, 13,000 people were brought through the courts because they had not paid their TV licence fee. This amounted to less than €2.1 million in fee income. At the same time, €2.1 million was lost as a result of Toy Show The Musical. No one was held accountable or brought through the courts for that, but ordinary people were. This is why this motion is necessary.

See this speech in context