Shane Cassells (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We have already seen leaks from the Department of Finance which says it is opposed to the Exchequer picking up the bill, which would lead to debates from Virgin Media, as well. It is a discussion because, ultimately, the €500 million that has been lost over the past number of years has impacted on what programming can be done with what was coming back to RTÉ and what it would be required to raise from a commercial point of view. That is why I was going with my line of questioning on what other financial models Ms Forbes has countenanced, because if RTÉ has to compete on an international basis, be it the Olympics or whatever, she is considering pay-per-view models in order to be able to buy these things, because it has a huge impact on what RTÉ can provide in its programming. With regard to the abolition, is Ms Forbe's preferred model to keep with the TV licence fee? I am looking at the submission she sent into us which she has headlined as saying it is no longer fit for purpose.