Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Sinn Féin for the opportunity to speak on this topic. I wish we were talking about the importance of public service media. I am tired of disinformation and misinformation. The best way to deal with that is to have a trustworthy and diverse public service media that has a range of voices. If I have a chance, I might come back to that point in the context of Gaza and Israel and the coverage of that conflict by our public service media at the moment.

I welcome the Minister's agreement that serious consideration needs to be given to direct Exchequer funding. My difficulty is that it has been going on too long, far before the current troubles with RTÉ. I pay tribute to the vast number of staff in RTÉ who have nothing to do with this issue. What has happened is unacceptable. I thank the Minister for the reports she is awaiting and so on. We no longer need to await those reports. I thank the Future of Media Commission for its sterling work. On page 127 of its report, it set out that the option of a household charge was identified as an alternative by the Oireachtas committee back in 2017, seven years ago. An interdepartmental working group on the future of public service broadcasting concurred in its report published in 2019. Fast forward to the 2022 report of the Future of Media Commission, which had a much broader remit. Its excellent report set out various matters. The Minister referred to the report as the blueprint for enabling the continued development of public service media. It explored many matters. It contextualised our funding models with regard to how it was being done in Europe and in other countries and it looked at public opinion. What is wonderful about its findings in that regard is that more than 65% of respondents agreed it was important to ensure public service broadcasting receives an appropriate level of funding and so on. In addition, it was found that it was particularly important to take into account the view of the public regarding a broadcasting charge. Given what some of the Minister's colleagues are saying, it is particularly important to note the commission's observation that, "a thoughtfully designed taxation-based model can preserve and protect the independence of publicly-funded media".

It looked at a great deal, including the percentages and how they have changed over the years. Before 2010, it was more dominated by commercial funding. There was less State funding, but that has been reversed.

Then we have the position of TG4, with 90% direct funding and not a problem with independence. It sets out all of that out for us in order that we can read and discuss it. There is a very interesting part in which the funding across Europe is examined. The Vatican is 100% publicly funded, and then there are variations. Ireland is down at the bottom, with public funding of 57%. Ireland is in the company of Malta, which has not distinguished itself in the past in the context of public service media and holding power to account, and Poland, which has not distinguished itself either and has public funding of 53%. That is where we are placed.

After careful consideration, the commission came down in favour of direct taxation. It looked at direct taxation and a broadcasting charge and considered which would get public buy-in. It found that the biggest buy-in from the public, based on all of its research, would be for direct taxation. It found in favour of public funding along with commercial funding. It rejected the idea of 100% public funding, which I am still open to and would like more debate on. I do not want a divisive debate but one which determines what is the best way to fund public service media. Unfortunately, we have not got to that point. Tonight, the Minister is asking us to wait a little longer until the reports come in. Every time a report comes in, however, another is commissioned. When this report came out, the Minister set up a working group. We have not yet seen that group's report. We cannot see it until we get the other reports. I am running out of time to read all of these reports, although I am doing my best to keep on top of them. We are debating a motion that I have difficulties with, although I agree that the licence has to go. It is useless and has to go, but I have a difficulty with the idea of getting rid of it tomorrow morning. The report of the Future of Media Commission said to get rid of it by 2024 and to ease our way into that. It set out the blueprint. I welcome the fact that the Minister is nodding but, unfortunately, it did not happen. As a result, we are in a situation whereby Sinn Féin has proposed a motion that is difficult to support 100%. While I fully support the concept of getting rid of the licence, we are in a position where successive Governments have not acted.

Let me put on the record that I am absolutely opposed to a broadcasting charge. I do not think people want another tax. From all my experience of canvassing on doorsteps, I know that people pay tax. They want to pay tax and they want services like those relating to housing, health, public education, public transport, etc. They want something they can believe in. I have to say that I wish we were discussing the accountability of RTÉ in terms of Gaza and Israel, for example, and the free approach when it comes to the Israeli ambassador. I do not see that extended to the Palestinian ambassador. I can think of many more examples that I would love to be discussing in a proactive way in the context of how to make public service media represent us.

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