Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We have superb Irish artists. Thousands of people go to see them every weekend. They would watch it on RTÉ if they got the opportunity. Ms O'Connor mentioned "The Late Late Show" special. I will not talk about "The Late Late Show". I could but I will not. There was an imbalance there too. Some of the people who presented these shows thought they were bigger than RTÉ, but things have moved on.

The next question is about funding. The witnesses might not be able to answer it now, but they can send me the figures. What are the figures on State agencies that are providing funding for coverage from RTÉ?

When I was Minister for Rural and Community Affairs, we used provide a little funding to RTÉ to make sure that it covered various things and made wildlife programmes to show the beauty of Ireland. What kind of funding does RTÉ get from other State agencies, such as Fáilte Ireland, to cover events? When I was in the Department of sport, the Sports Council provided funding in respect of the coverage of minority sports. I understand that outside broadcasts are costly. They have to be paid for. Wherever RTÉ gets funding, that is fine. I would just like to know what kind of funding RTÉ gets from the State agencies.