Mr. Rory Coveney:

Mr. Lynch might comment on that. Our remit certainly lends itself more to commissioning. Fundamentally, the producer-commissioner model referred to in the future of media report, which the RTÉ has, reflects what we are obliged to do. It reflects the fact we have a significant radio service and significant obligations in news, which editorially requires us to maintain that in-house in order to manage the quality. It reflects our obligations in respect of sport, which are where most of the costs and obligations reside in terms of talent and rights. They do not necessarily lend themselves to much publishing or commissioning.

That is not to say that we could not do more commissioning. In the past we had significantly more resources, and in 2008 we spent over €80 million on commissioning. It is not that we do not want to commission much more from the sector; we do. We need the sector. It is a key partner for us. However, the remit we have obliges us to have a balance between the two.