Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 307:

In page 129, line 40, after “cent” to insert the following: “, or in which the share of works in the Irish language, from 31 December 2030, is less than 5 per cent, and from 31 December 2035, is less than 10 per cent”.

These amendments seek to replicate what is done in other member states, using powers given under the AVMSD. It is the norm in other EU countries to require a percentage of catalogues on streaming sites, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, to be in their national language. This helps to support domestic industries in line with EU commitments to cultural diversity. It also helps to protect their national language community against the encroaching dominance of English language productions. I am sure at some point all of us have watched a very dark Nordic programme and enjoyed it immensely.

Ireland is a special case in this regard. English is the dominant language here and our market is flooded with films and shows from Britain and America. This makes it difficult for Irish productions to compete or gain a foothold at home. However, we understand that setting percentage requirements for English language productions would not combat this. At a time when we have a national language, Irish, which is spoken by 40% of the population according to the 2016 census, we also have a special duty to restore that language nationally and to ensure Gaeltacht communities are not further pushed into speaking English, which we see happening day by day, and in their viewing of television or streaming services. Requiring a small percentage of content to be in the Irish language and for prominence to be given to such content on screening sites with viewers and subscribers in Ireland, in the way that there is different content in France or Italy, would go a long way to grow the language and encourage use beyond what it has achieved so far.

We have seen worldwide phenomena when shows in languages other than English break through globally on streaming platforms such as "Squid Game" from South Korea or "Borgen", which was in Danish. It adds to the self-respect and prestige of these languages internationally for both the speakers and learners at home and abroad. We know that Irish language content can be, and is, produced to the highest quality. An array of award winning and internationally acclaimed films in Irish have hit our screens in recent years.

We could develop and build on that quite effectively through investment from streaming sites, not to mention the exposure to our diaspora but to our young people in Ireland for whom these platforms are their main way of accessing shows and films. We are proposing a modest 5% by 2030, which will give ample time to achieve that percentage either through production investment or purchasing works in Irish, all of which benefit the sector and the workers here. That would be increased to 10% by 2035.

Amendment No. 308 deals with ensuring Irish language works are prominent in these online catalogues, highlighted on someone's home page and through the algorithms the online streaming services utilise. This is about normalising Irish and encouraging and celebrating the language. It is about empowering people through those new and emerging technologies. We have all changed how we consume our television watching and can engage with the language at our own pace. It is about implementing in Irish law the same kind of ambition and self-respect other member states have done to date.