Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for attending. I have a few specific questions so I will go through them and whoever feels they are the appropriate person to answer, please feel free. I was thinking mid-lockdown about the fact there was, I assume, no production going on. It was mentioned that there were a number of months when there was nothing happening. Are we likely to see that reflected in a couple of years when we will see a gap in our chosen platform, whether a TV or streaming service? Are we likely to see the same stuff for months and notice there is nothing new happening? Will there be a real impact in a couple of years when we will ask if they will ever bring out something new? Ms Finnegan mentioned the 2020 figures: 12 films, three TV productions, eight animated TV shows and 13 documentaries. How does that compare to 2019? Do the witnesses have those figures? Perhaps we will not see those figures impacted for a couple of years.

I assume international productions have also been impacted by the restrictions on travel. We have a great reputation here. "Braveheart" and "Saving Private Ryan" were partially produced in the State, to name two films. Are we still able to attract such international productions as we have in the past? Can we work towards getting more in?

With a view to being helpful, I will ask a direct question. The witnesses touched on a few measures. What steps could the Government take to create more opportunities for Irish productions?

Mention was made of some international film festivals where Irish movies are featured. I presume Screen Ireland has a role in supporting Irish film festivals. In west Cork, we have the Fastnet Film Festival, which is terrific. It attracts a host of well-known Irish and international names. I think Saoirse Ronan is one of the advocates for it and she goes down there yearly. How will we face the challenges of supporting our own film festivals going forward?

RTÉ representatives were in here recently and that organisation has a variety of challenges relating to income. I had a question on the audiovisual media services directive but the witnesses have explained that. Is there an opportunity for RTÉ to drastically increase its income from Irish productions being sold abroad? What can be done to develop that?