Mr. Pierce O'Reilly:

On the broadcasting charge, there seems to be a disconnect on the part of citizens with regard to where the money will go. My view is that the broadcasting Bill should in some way include community television and radio stations and what they are trying to achieve. If this is done, we will be able to inform people that they will be getting 30 minutes of dedicated TV content from their counties every week on foot of the broadcasting charge they will be obliged to pay. We will also be able to highlight, for example, the three people employed in their counties in particular capacities. If one asks people about the charge at present, they indicate that they are of the view it will go to somewhere in Dublin and that they will never heard about it again. We can inform them that we can bring the three individuals to whom I refer right into their communities in order to that their stories might be told.

In the context of the public service element, we visited Keadue, County Roscommon, to cover the harp festival that is held there. We met the chairperson who informed us that for the past 20 years he had been writing to every broadcaster in Ireland in order to ask them to cover the festival and that we were the first to do so. We put together a full, hour-long programme on the festival. To me, this represents public service. We do not want it to be a drain on the State and we are asking how we can work together in order to secure our futures and plan for the people we employ.

The other aspect relating to the proposed Bill is that Irish TV is the first broadcaster which is fulfilling - 100% - the remit set out under existing broadcasting legislation and it is also complying with the Government strategy to connect with the global Irish diaspora. We hope we can work together on that matter.