Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There has been a national and international outcry about the proposal. As Ms Forbes has heard from members, this issue does not only affect the people of Limerick. Lyric FM has spread its wings and has a local, national and international listenership. I know it is not proposed to close the station down. Lyric FM has formed partnerships with the Irish Chamber Orchestra and a large number of groups based in the mid-west. If the station is moved out of Limerick those partnerships will be lost because people will be unable to travel to Dublin and Cork. As many as 500,000 people live in the area where Lyric FM is currently based. Many groups and cultural organisations avail of and have formed a partnership with Lyric FM so I am disappointed with the proposed closure. I hope the intervention by the Taoiseach today, in asking Ms Forbes and her board to have a rethink, will help to keep Lyric FM in Limerick. Until the new commission and board report on this matter, it is probably too early to say whether Lyric FM will go.