Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for attending. They are reaching the point of overload with the questioning from four of us together, so I will try to be as brief as possible.

In some sections of the media RTE bashing is the done thing, which I never quite understood. The great majority of the work RTE does is valuable and positive. When I grew up on the western seaboard in the 1980s and 1990s it was very much two-channel land. As a child, many of the events in my life were shared with RTE, including New Year's Eve in 1988 and watching the 1994 World Cup. As we did not have too many options, RTE shaped many of my generation. One of my earliest television memories is of the debut of Zig and Zag on afternoon television. That is where I am coming from.

I do not believe anybody today mentioned RTE's sports contribution to Irish society. I have always been very impressed that for a relatively small country with small national broadcaster we are up there with the best in terms of coverage. While we cannot compete with companies such as Sky for live English Premier League soccer action, there has always been excellent coverage of sporting events. I compliment the recent addition to the television sporting schedule, "Soccer Republic" which covers much domestic as well as international soccer and is an excellent programme. Unfortunately, RTE lost its English Premier League soccer highlights programme this year. Perhaps a more affordable way of bringing that back to our screens could be considered for the 2014-15 season. Now that Liverpool is going well, it might be nice to see it screened on Irish television.

I am baffled over how the State broadcaster would consider screening some programmes, including celebrities getting married or couples competing with each other to have the best night out possible in the city. I do not understand how RTE regards that as coming under its remit.

Regarding 2FM, we have a number of commercial radio stations which cover that remit. Is it necessary for 2FM to continue to come under the auspices of RTE? I am not seeking the discontinuation of 2FM but I wonder if RTE should maintain responsibility for it into the future.

Last year there was a very serious current affairs issue with certain tapes that were discovered. It was very prominent in nearly all sections of Irish media, both print and broadcast, and yet RTE would not touch it. I am sure the witnesses know the case to which I am referring. Why did the State broadcaster not cover it?

While I welcome RTE's improving financial situation, what is the forecast for 2014, 2015 and 2016? Are those years expected to be positive?

What controls are in place to ensure that the payment of costs for transporting guests and staff to and from RTE is not abused? What system does RTE have for the procurement of transport? What is the procedure where national or international "celebrities" appear on programmes? What is the system for paying for their transport expenses? While I do not wish to point to any individual case, I believe this needs to be highlighted.

Some weeks ago, there was a lady on "The Late Late Show", which I would see as an institution that has done very positive work in informing debate in this country, who was brought over from the United Kingdom and had absolutely nothing to offer public debate or anything else, other than to be what I would call a freak show. How much was spent in bringing that person here? Did RTE pay the expenses for someone who I would see as self-promoting?

As Members of Oireachtas Éireann, we all have an allowance for travel and accommodation and so on. Why is it the case that if Oireachtas Members are on various programmes, their travel expenses are covered? By all accounts, one Deputy ran up a €500 taxi bill to go on an RTE programme where he was promoting himself. Why is that the case? That is just one example, and if it is happening across the board, why is it allowed to continue? If RTE is looking at reducing costs, is it not something that should be tackled immediately?