Mr. John Purcell:

On deep fakes, we do not know because we are only at the tip of the iceberg. We do not even know the threat they pose, but it is a grave threat. It is not only about deep fakes but also the targeting of individual staff and so on. The independent radio sector as it stands will be challenged to provide the service that the political system has become used to in the forthcoming elections due to the radicalisation of politics, deep fakes and the onerous regulatory burden we have. That can be turned into financial losses if someone wants to weaponise the complaints system and take legal action, which has happened. It was not a political party in the instance to which I refer and I cannot go into detail. However, it is difficult.

Libel insurance was mentioned. In the radio sector, we are obliged, as part of our broadcasting licence, to have libel insurance. It has become very hard to source and the cost of it has increased hugely in recent years. I am not sure of the statistics but I would not be surprised if that increase was of the nature of 50%. That is another weight on our viability.