Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Programme B covers broadcasting. In summary, there is significant support for public service broadcasting and there is a broadcasting licence fee, receipts from which in 2019 will amount to €227 million. RTÉ will receive €199 million of that to meet its public service broadcasting obligations, while TG4 will receive €36.2 million in separate grant payments as it is no longer processed by the Exchequer.

Part of the licence fee, €15 million in 2019, is allocated to the broadcasting fund and goes towards supporting initiatives open to all broadcasters through schemes such as sound and vision. It is designed to encourage creative content from outside of the public service broadcasters, RTÉ and TG4. The fund has been much welcomed by the Oireachtas.

A broadcasting Bill is in preparation and was discussed in the House recently. The Bill will introduce the possibility of new options for collecting the license fee, but that will have to be decided upon. It will also introduce scope for some of the licence fee to be deployed to reduce the broadcasting levy on local broadcasters. I know that is something Members of the Oireachtas and members of the committee, Deputy Dooley in particular, are keen to see. The broadcasting Bill will also afford us the opportunity to debate how the broadcasting fund should be deployed in support of valuable content, both local and national.