Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh na finnéithe ar fad agus gabhaim comhghairdeachas le Ms Forbes agus an tUasal Esslemont as ucht a gceapacháin. Tá súil agam go n-éireoidh go han-mhaith leo. I place huge importance on the public service broadcast remit. I should say I had an interest previously, as in a previous existence I was employed indirectly by TG4 and RTE as a producer director. I am interested in the issue of fairness and balance in public service broadcasting and it being independent in what it produces. Because it is so dependent on Government funding how does it get this balance right with regard to being able to be critical of the State as well as having its hand out to looking for more money?

There is a perception that RTE is very Dublin 4 centric and does not have regional vision, and that it is very middle-class, white and middle-aged. This is the perception that is out there. Public service broadcasting is about looking at drama, arts and culture. The question of diversity being seen on screen and in production I see as a huge part of the public service broadcasting remit. How does RTE intend to live up to this?

RTE has undersold itself on its Irish language content. It has devised a very good Irish language strategy and there has been improvement in the Irish language area. Do not undersell the Irish language. I do not think that because TG4 is doing such a good job it lets RTE off the hook on the Irish language remit. It has something to be very proud of, in particular Raidió na Gaeltachta. Parts of the public service broadcasting that might not have been mentioned are stations such as Lyric FM and Raidió na Gaeltachta, which would not happen if there was not a public service broadcasting subsidy. It is very important.

What is the future of digital content which both broadcasters envisage? It is changing so quickly. What are the changes in the digital industry they see coming forward? How will they adapt to deliver what is needed not next year but two or three years down the line? This leads to a point raised on capital investment. Ms O'Keeffe mentioned there is a need for capital investment to keep ahead of the technology. What is envisaged in this regard? If money is being given from the State coffers we need to have a sense of where the organisation sees the money being spent in a capital sense so it is not overspent.

What is the regional policy of RTE? This is also part of the public service remit. TG4 proved fantastic broadcasting can be done from a bog in Connemara, where I live. Why has RTE not had more of a regional footprint?

The funding issue strikes me as quite simple. There used to be less competition in the market and more money from advertising was spent on the two main broadcasters, but the money now goes to companies such as Facebook, Google and Netflix. How do we follow the money and how do we get back some of the money from these multinationals? I do not think it is a good idea to go after more taxes from households. There is no appetite for it or an ability to pay in many cases. I would much prefer us to follow the profits and the money rather than trying to take more money from struggling households.

Another issue which is raised from time to time is the fees to top presenters. We are always told massive fees must be given to the top presenters in RTE because otherwise they would go away. We saw that when Pat Kenny went to Newstalk the audience did not follow him. Is this argument still justified? Much of the best talent in TG4 in the beginning was poached by RTE, and fair play to the people involved who have gone on to great careers.