Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We are all more than aware of the huge financial scandal at RTÉ and the equally significant lack of accountability those responsible have faced. For the Government to expect people to continue to pay a licence fee in the wake of RTÉ's barefaced squandering of public money, with zero accountability, is a staggering and absolute breach of trust and public confidence. It is disgraceful to think that 13,000 people alone faced court proceedings last year for not having a TV licence when RTÉ was spending thousands of euro of public money on flip-flops, among other things, with no oversight or accountability.

A new model of funding is not only required: it is an absolute essential to foster and grow the vibrant, diverse, public sector broadcasting and independent media sector the Irish people deserve. In order to restore confidence in the broadcasting service we must do this. Sinn Féin's proposal for a platform-neutral media fund, directly funded by the Exchequer, would support RTÉ and TG4, provide for public service content production at local and community level and pave the way for immediate abolition of the licence fee system. Costly prosecution proceedings would no longer be necessary, with legal amnesty for those who have not paid their licence fee. The Minister has already discussed that. We need trustworthy, transparent and sustainable public sector broadcasting and independent media sectors that are directly funded by the Exchequer. Sinn Féin's proposal makes that possible.

It is time for the Government and the Minister to grasp the nettle, scrap the TV licence and fund RTÉ and other public service media through direct Exchequer funding. I urge all in the House to support the motion.

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