Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I join in welcoming Ms Forbes and her team before us today. I acknowledge the work RTÉ has done throughout the pandemic as part of its public broadcasting remit, particularly in reassuring people and relieving their anxiety over the past 12 months or so and imparting information based on science and fact.

I only have a few minutes. There are so many things I would like to talk about but I will focus on the independent sector. As I understand it, the independent production sector is protected under the Broadcasting Act 2009. I want to delve a little deeper into how Ms Forbes proposes to increase that funding as we open up society and the economy. What reassurances can she give to that sector that it will be the beneficiary of increased funding for output for the next 12 to 24 months?