Ms Katherine Licken:

The Chair is right in pointing out the importance of public sector media. We are in a very changing and dynamic media landscape all around, and not just in public service media. Commercial media and social media have changed the landscape considerably. It is for that very reason that the Government established the Future of Media Commission, which made 50 recommendations on the future of media in Ireland. Ms Quill can speak to that in more detail. That included a recommendation for Exchequer funding for RTÉ. Recognising the merit good that public service broadcasting is, the Government was not comfortable with that recommendation. There was another recommendation that in the interim, additional funding of €15 million should be provided, and the Government did accept that. That is why the Supplementary Estimate was introduced to provide RTÉ with that funding.