Ms Breda O'Keeffe:

To answer the question on sports rights, between 2002 and 2007 there was huge inflation in the sports rights market. There were such competition that RTE lost some sporting rights and the GAA packages have been split between two broadcasters. Deputy O'Mahony asked whether financial pressures cause a change in strategy. We have stated our strategy is to reduce the cost of sports rights by 25% between now and 2015. This is a challenge and there may be further losses in sports rights, which will be very unfortunate but we will just have to bear with it.

As with all talent fees, a number of criteria are considered when the fees paid to pundits in soccer and rugby are set. These include the number of events covered and the pundits' experience. Only one sports pundit was in the top talent list and the latest salaries and fees negotiated show significant reductions. It depends on the level of services and the importance of the sport itself. No one shoe fits all.