Mr. Séamus Dooley:

I thank the committee for recognising the importance of consultation with the National Union of Journalists, NUJ, at an early stage in developing its programme of work. On 20 March last, we called for a forum on the crisis then facing the media industry across all sectors and platforms. While initiatives were taken in respect of tourism, hospitality and the arts, no immediate, substantial measures were taken to assist the media, apart from the welcome initiative in respect of independent commercial radio. While employment in the print, broadcasting and digital sector is not comparable to tourism, the implications for democracy of a diminished media sector should be of concern to this committee. Listening to the contribution of the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, last week, I regret to say there was precious little clarity on how it is proposed to, for example, address the financial situation in RTÉ. We are gravely concerned for the future of public service broadcasting in Ireland. There was no real recognition of the tsunami which is engulfing the newspaper sector, in particular the regional press. The focus on independent production within broadcasting ignores the existence of freelance workers, writers, photographers and videographers in other sectors.

We welcome that the Future of Media Commission has commenced its work but without immediate action there will be no future for many media workers in Ireland. This is a point I know will be echoed by Mr. John Purcell. It is worth noting that on 26 September 2014, the NUJ called for the establishment of a Government commission on the future of the media in a submission to a Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, BAI, seminar - Ensuring Plurality in the Digital Age. This is not a new idea. The union's recovery plan forms the basis for our approach to the current crisis and I have circulated, for ease of reference, a copy with this statement. Among the short-term measures proposed by the NUJ are: a windfall tax of 6% on the tech giants, using the UK digital services tax model, towards funding a news recovery plan; assistance for freelance media workers who have sustained income losses but are outside the scope of wage subsidy schemes; no public money to firms making compulsory redundancies, cutting pay, giving executive bonuses or blocking trade union organisation; companies receiving public funds to be prohibited for five years from engaging in mergers and acquisition activity or leveraged buyouts that result in job losses or pay reductions; strategic investment in Government advertising and the establishment of an innovative fund to promote public service journalism at local and national level, developing the model used in the Simon Cumbers media fund established by Irish Aid; free vouchers for online or print subscriptions for all 18 and 19 year olds; and tax credits for households with subscriptions for over 70 year olds, in line with the free TV licence scheme.

I am happy to answer any questions the committee may have on the impact of the pandemic on the media industry, but I thought it useful at this stage to set out a strategic approach to the crisis and to appeal for a more imaginative approach to that crisis.