Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate Ms Doherty and wish her well in her role. I concur with a much of what she said about RTE, including the many positive aspects of public service broadcasting.

The concept of accountability has entered the public arena recently. Members of the Oireachtas have rightly to be accountable for the public's money, including our salaries and expenses. Yet, RTE seems to work in an environment where it is okay to take somebody on and provide their salary details in three years' time. Does Ms Doherty think that is acceptable in the current economic climate? As chairperson of the board, will she do anything to redress it? I may be wrong but some recent media commentary concerned one individual who said - to paraphrase him - that he would leave the country if Deputy Enda Kenny ever became Taoiseach. He is due back on the airwaves in RTE soon, yet his salary will not be disclosed for three years. I wonder if Ms Doherty is comfortable with that, in her role as chairperson.

Previous speakers mentioned the independence of the broadcaster free of commercial interests. Is Ms Doherty satisfied that this is the case? For instance, if a bank were to sponsor a current affairs programme, does she think there could be a suggestion of a lack of independence in that context, where a programme is being sponsored by somebody who might be perceived to have a vested interest? Given that RTE receives over 80% of the licence fee, which accounts for over €170 million, is there a need for commercial enterprises to sponsor current affairs programmes where opinion is being formulated?

Deputy Moynihan alluded to serious gaffes that occurred in RTE, particularly in the run-up to the presidential election. How satisfied is Ms Doherty that this has been fixed? Recently I have been listening more attentively to current affairs programmes, particularly at the weekend, and balance is something that I am always conscious of. In her role as chairperson, would Ms Doherty find two Opposition spokespersons and one Government spokesperson on a major prime time Saturday afternoon current affairs radio programme as being balanced? Or would she find two Government spokespersons and one Opposition spokesperson balanced?

There has been a tendency, certainly in the recent past, whereby balance has been thrown out the window. How does Ms Doherty feel that marries with the concept of RTE being a public service broadcaster while drawing down 80% of the licence fee?

It is important not to fix something that is not broken. At one stage, I asked the RTE director general about the old concept of "Questions and Answers" in current affairs programming. Since John Bowman left RTE television, there has not been a "Questions and Answers" type of programme. He was able to weed out the political plants in the audience. Sometimes when one turns on programmes such as "The Frontline", "Prime Time" with an audience, there are as many plants in the audience as one would see in a garden centre. They are anything but fair and balanced, whether to the Government or Opposition. I wonder why the old format of "Questions and Answers" had to be done away with. Why can it not be brought back? If it is not broken, do not fix it.

Many of our constituents are asking why "Winning Streak" has been ditched. The audience for that slot went from a little over 400,000 down to 200,000 in one week. In terms of the licence fee and public service broadcasting, how does Ms Doherty react to that collapse of viewing figures in the space of seven days?

RTE's 2FM is in competition with commercial radio stations across the country. We have seen the JNLR figures time and again, which show that the commercial stations are certainly struggling. Is there a plan to do anything differently there or will it continue as it is? With 80% of the television licence going into a protected environment that is also able to carry commercial advertisements, local radio stations feel they are in competition with 2FM which is protected and insulated, but nothing seems to be happening to correct that situation.