Ms Celene Craig:

I am happy to clarify what we mean by a multi-annual funding model. In order for public service media or, indeed, even anybody producing public service content, there is a need to have strong sense of security of what that funding stream will be like over a future number of years. We would ask that it is for, at a minimum, three years.

When plans are being developed and concepts for new forms of content, whether that is drama or a series of children's programmes, there must be an ability to plan and involve those creative concepts over a number of years. It is very difficult to plan when one does not know what funding will be available year on year.

When we make recommendations concerning future funding, and in the past it has been our tradition to look forward five years into the future, we do it on the basis of the broadcaster's strategy. It is good practice to have a strategic approach to how one sees public service content and the service that one will offer audiences. It is important that each of the broadcasters has a strategic sense of how that is going to evolve over the next number of years. However, in order to give effect to those strategies, there must be some certainty around funding streams otherwise broadcasters will find themselves making decisions year on year which is not conducive to good, creative programme planning and implementation.

Multi-annual funding is very important from two other perspectives. One is looking at the capital investment that might be required to support new types of development, particularly digital developments. There is a need to be able to anticipate and plan for the type of digital developments that might be required in order to support the service that is being offered to audiences. Finally, multi-annual funding allows an overall accountability framework for how broadcasters perform year on year. Over a period, it gives a broader framework within which to plan but it also gives a broader framework in which we, for example, as a regulator, can assess the extent to which the broadcaster has performed, and the way it has delivered on its public funding commitments and programming objectives.

My colleague, Mr. Liam Boyle, will address the specific question about funding for TG4.