Mr. Kevin Bakhurst:

It is a mixture. We have said in the strategy that we are going to be spending more in the independent sector. As Senator Warfield rightly says, one of RTÉ's roles is at the centre of the creative Irish economy around the country. I was very grateful to see the letter yesterday from Screen Producers Ireland, which underlines the role RTÉ plays in terms of funding and boosting creativity around the country and in working with our partners. What we mean when we talk about a hybrid role is that we will be doing some programming and content in-house but over the years we will be spending more in the independent sector and making sure that independent producers are true partners and that they are well funded. Hopefully, if funding is predictable it means we can make decisions on a longer-term basis. I was at the "Dancing with the Stars" studio on Sunday, not for the show, but to see the studio and the people there. There are more than 100 people. It is incredibly impressive the investment they have made in that studio. It is extremely hard for brilliant producers like ShinAwiL to plan on a year-to-year basis on that kind of investment. The reason they have to do that and we have to do it is because we do not know what our funding is from year to year. This will be hugely supportive of the independent sector if we have more predictable funding and we create longer term commitments.