Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will not be long because Deputy Dooley has outlined the situation very comprehensively. I welcome the witnesses and thank them for coming in. They are a very talented group of people who have made a great contribution to Irish life and broadcasting. At the end of the day, money is one of the biggest difficulties here. What Ms Kenneally said about the drop in the actual number of people paying the licence fee is correct. It is not only a question of non-collection, which is also a problem. An Post administers collection for RTE. The point is that people will not accept a new tax such as a charge on computers.

There is an in-between situation, whereby one can extend the Title and amend the legislation to provide for an alternative.

If one is watching television on a computer, then one should pay the licence fee. I do not know whether that requires a complete change. Politically, at this point in time, given that the Government is in such a dicey position, it is not inclined to introduce any new charges. It requires a strong Government to introduce charges and redistribute them to local broadcasters. Shannonside is my local radio station. We almost expect it to provide coverage of proceedings in Leinster House. It provides more coverage than "Oireachtas Report". I would suggest that "Oireachtas Report" does not understand what the Oireachtas means; that is, two Houses, the Seanad and the Dáil, which are entitled to equal coverage. Committees should also be covered

Provision for a contribution has been discussed for a very long time, but that will not work unless we can control and work out a system of collecting funding for people who are availing of content. I understand 5% fewer people now have televisions than in previous years, but they are receiving content on their computers. It is clear to me that they should make an equal contribution to broadcasting, whether public or otherwise.

We have discussed this issue for years, but I ask that a contribution be provided to local radio for the purposes of coverage of news, current affairs and sport. That is very important. It is obvious that some property in Montrose will have to be sold. Even selling that will only be a once off operation; it will not provide an annual return.