Mr. Larry Bass:

I am delighted that Deputy Stanley is keenly interested in the quality of debate and the percentage of time given to individual parties. It is simple. If there is no funding for public service broadcasting, there will not be a debate and the body politic and Ireland will not be well served. If there is any particular issue, the Deputy can make a submission to the BAI, on whose board I sat, about fairness because that is part of the Act to which all broadcasters have to adhere. There has been a very fair debate.

Ireland is one of very few countries in the world where prime-time current affairs television coverage of politics is still broadcast during prime-time hours five, six and seven days a week. That is what serves the House and the future of Irish democracy very well. We will not have that and it will be of little value if nobody is watching and we do not have other quality programming around that coverage.

Another issue I would like to put into the mix is that some homes in Ireland struggle to pay for television licences, but many pay for cable or satellite television packages, some of which cost in excess of €100 per month. The House could consider raising taxes through the application of VAT to a fund. All of the money paid for cable and satellite television leaves Ireland and does not go into Irish content or stories for children in Ireland. It certainly does not go into Irish radio, news and current affairs coverage.

It is in the gift of the House to examine how taxes are charged on fees paid in all homes. People pay such broadcasting charges voluntarily. They are not taxes, rather people volunteer to subscribe to television services, all of which involve money going out of the country.