Mr. Michael O'Keeffe:

It is important for the commercial radio sector that we permit that sponsorship, as so much of its programming is current affairs in nature. If issues arise about how a programme is being influenced by its sponsor, they can be brought to the compliance committee and a broadcaster might be required to make adjustments or so on. There is a mechanism to address conflicts of interest. Generally speaking, however, stations behave themselves in terms of how they operate with sponsors. Sponsors are important to them, but they recognise that sponsors must not have an input into the editorial elements of the programmes. It is a balancing act and one can see where there may be potential difficulties, but we have fallen on the side of the broadcasters, as it is a source of income for them.