Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The Secretary General from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform asked how we could get greater productivity. The difficulty for the Minister is that the broadcasting fund is half the allocation. There is not much other stuff to cut.

Is the €185,724,000 the final outcome for 2015? If the Minister believes there is an additional €40 million to be collected in licence fees, what approach would he take to try to get it? For example he could consider taking the collection of fees from An Post, as Deputy Dooley seems to be suggesting a role for the Revenue Commissioners or some other collection mechanism. I am sure that would raise issues for An Post. If the Minister does not get the legislative time to introduce an alternative broadcasting charge, what is the process by which he would look to get extra revenue?