Mr. Seamus McCarthy:

Go raibh maith agat, a Chathaoirligh. I have a couple of remarks on the Vote. Gross voted expenditure on broadcasting in 2020 totalled €271 million, which was up 4% on the gross expenditure incurred in 2019. The largest element of the programme expenditure in 2020 was grant funding provided to RTÉ, totalling €197.6 million. This was slightly up on the grant funding of €196.5 million provided to RTÉ in 2019. Grant funding to Teilifís na Gaeilge amounted to €39.1 million in 2020. That was an increase of 8% year-on-year.

The broadcasting fund, which is managed by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, BAI, is used mainly to grant, assist the development and production of programmes for radio and television. The fund received €21.8 million from the Vote in 2020, representing an increase of 47% on the 2019 contribution. The notes to the appropriation account explain that the additional funding in that case was provided to support enhanced programming as a response to Covid-19.

A substantial part of the programme is funded by television licence fee receipts into the Vote. In 2020, such receipts totalled just under €223 million. This was about the same as aggregate licence fee receipts in 2019.

Members may recall that, while I audit the financial statements of Teilifís na Gaeilge and of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, I do not have responsibility for the audit of the financial statements of RTÉ, which is classified as a commercial State body. Consequently, it is not appropriate for me to comment on RTÉ’s financial statements.