Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank RTÉ and Met Éireann for coming before the meeting to help us with our deliberations. I will focus on ancillary recommendation I of the Citizens' Assembly, which is that "Greater emphasis should be placed on providing positive information to the public which encourages people to make changes to the aspects of their behaviour which impact on climate change."

Everyone has a role to play on that. We have a sense that a whole-of-Government and whole-of-society approach will be required to deal with this most urgent issue facing humanity. Both of the organisations represented here have an incredible responsibility in this. First, they are trusted, particularly Met Éireann because people tune in to hear its reports every day. In an extreme weather event we are all glued watching Ms Evelyn Cusack and all the others who tell us that it is not safe to go out, and we trust them. That is the reality. We see Met Éireann as being incredibly important in this. I was amused at the part of RTÉ's opening statement stating "A cursory review of coverage over the past six months on this issue demonstrates that RTÉ is making genuine efforts". That period happens to coincide with the length of time this committee has been holding its hearings. I wonder are they related? Over the previous six years, I have been a little disappointed at RTÉ's balanced coverage, for instance, when planning issues were being discussed and the reasons people were considering renewable infrastructure. Insufficient accurate information was sought to establish why in heaven's name we were doing this, because the climate was changing and we have responsibilities. Therefore I welcome what RTÉ said about looking at something along the lines of "Operation Transformation". There is great merit in that because people will tune in if they are getting accurate information on this. Will RTÉ require funding from a specific Department to follow up on such a project?

As for its relationship with Met Éireann, the representatives from RTÉ should tell us if there is anything in the contract between the two that inhibits Met Éireann from expanding on its remit to share information to citizens on climate action and climate change? Does anything need to be reconsidered in this area?

I have been very interested in some recent broadcast scheduling that I have observed. John Creedon made an excellent three-part documentary called "Creedon's Weather: Four Seasons In One Day". While I looked forward to watching it, it was scheduled in August, on a Sunday at 6.30 p.m. On most fine evenings I am out. Very few people would be inside then. I am curious as to why such as valuable programme would be scheduled at such a time. I should note this was in 2014 and I appreciate it was before Ms Forbes's time, but I felt that more people should have seen it then. It would have been incredibly helpful for the public's understanding.

Met Éireann presented to the Citizens' Assembly and will have noted the assembly's further recommendations, including the one to which I made specific reference earlier. Did it take the opportunity to raise with RTÉ the recommendation that further communication would be required to get the information out to the public?