Mr. Kevin Bakhurst:

On the reassurance, first of all, there is evidence from the board here. There are a number of independent producers on the board so the interests of independent producers and our investment in the independent production sector is very much a part of the discussion we have. We are ambitious to increase our spend with the independent sector over time and that will be part of the strategy that we announce.

I have had a number of meetings with those from the independent sector. I tried to give them the reassurance we could. This is a priority for us. We rely on them, as the Senator rightly said, for virtually all of the most impactful and successful high-quality drama that we produce and we have a very good partnership with them.

It is a source of regret to me that we cannot put more money into the independent sector. If, in due course, there was more money available to put into content at RTÉ, a significant amount of that would go into the independent sector because part of RTÉ's core role at the heart of public service media in Ireland is to be part of a successful creative economy and help to drive those jobs around the country. We are committed to that. The chair is from that background and totally committed to it, as am I.