Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have several direct questions regarding some of the comments made already and I will then talk about this subject in more general terms. I will put a blunt question to Ms Kirby concerning the model for RTÉ. Is it her view that RTÉ should become a publisher-broadcaster in the same format as TG4? If that is her view, does she believe that would result in a greater number of independent productions and help to enhance the sector?

Turning to Mr. Hickey, that last discussion was interesting regarding the question of a content levy versus direct investment. An interesting paper published by researchers from the Free University of Brussels, or Vrije Universiteit Brussel, in December 2018 compared the models in different countries. It found that using the content levy was a more direct way of ensuring the funding was provided. Putting it bluntly, is there a specific territory we should look at in the European Union as a general model, whether in respect of a content levy or direct investment?

More generally, I support the content levy. It will be essential and we as a committee have an obligation to help support and develop the sector in Ireland. We must have a vibrant content creation sector for all the reasons we have been talking about, including economically and helping with tourism. It is going to be essential. We must ensure Irish stories are told and we must also look at this sector as an export industry with international distribution potential. Any of the witnesses might address my next point, which concerns how and in what way we use the content levy. There has been, rightly, talk of using such a levy for development funding. Should some of the levy be used for specific requirements in training and upskilling people in the industry? Should we use some of the resources gained from the levy to attract some large international productions and the associated inward investment? If we are going to go after productions like "Game of Thrones" and "Star Wars", for example, should we use some of the levy to allow us to be able to attract them?

I was conscious of some of the discussion regarding a contestable fund. Should we be dividing the levy in two ways? One strand could be concerned with those big international productions that may be able to operate on the international stage, while the other strand could be aimed at those smaller productions which may not necessarily travel. When the money starts to come in, how will we see the content levy be divided? I will start with those questions and points.