Ms Dee Forbes:

Excuse me, I apologise. Many years ago it was decided that Ireland should have a public service broadcaster. It was deemed at the time that it should be funded by commercial income and by public money. That model served the country well for many years. What is now up for discussion is how that should be funded in the future. I certainly believe, and I hope the committee agrees, that public service broadcasting is vitally important. What we, as a country, have to establish is that if we all agree with the fundamental principles that there should be a public service broadcaster, then the funding of it needs to be confirmed, because it is impossible to plan and to project.