Mr. Séamus Dooley:

A Chathaoirligh, Deputies and Senators, I was going to say it is good to be back, but it is. Congratulations or commiseration as appropriate. I hope, with great respect, that we do not see as much of this committee as we did of the last one. We welcome the opportunity to comment on the revised general scheme of the broadcasting (amendment) Bill and appreciate the invitation. I am accompanied by Mr. Ó Síocháin, cathaoirleach of the Irish executive council. He is a journalist and former secretary of the RTÉ trade union group.

This Bill is extremely significant. It gives effect to many of the key recommendations of the Future of Media Commission in the context of the challenges facing public service broadcasting in Ireland. Given the limited timeframe, we have submitted a small number of observations, and I would like to give a general overview in the context of these observations. Having supported and welcomed the Report of the Future of Media Commission, we again broadly welcome the Bill and endorse the significant measures giving effect to the report. This is without prejudice to our belief that the funding recommendations in respect of public service broadcasting should have been accepted by Government and that the current funding model is not in itself sustainable.

As the trade union representing media workers across broadcasting, print and digital media in Ireland, we are committed to the maintenance and development of public service broadcasting in Ireland. Maintenance of editorial excellence, the protection of quality employment and recognition of the vital role of public service broadcasting, especially RTÉ and TG4, in nurturing and developing talent must also inform State policy on public service broadcasting. This is not reflected in the general scheme. There should be stronger public procurement rules in respect of the outsourcing of work to the commercial sector. Recognising the unique role of media organisations, the Competition Act 2014, as amended, which makes special provision for media mergers and the guidelines on media mergers, could form the basis for rules governing outsourcing. The media merger form originally pioneered by former Minister of State, Alex White, requires companies to provide specific evidence regarding corporate governance, editorial control and independence, and future plans. Governance and editorial management information, compliance with codes and practices within the particular sector and any policy documents in relation to ethical codes all form part of the notification system. That can include the number of complaints made to any regulatory body, grievance procedures, appearances at the Workplace Relations Commission and respect for the institutions of the State, including the WRC.

These observations are also relevant to the media fund provided under this scheme. Organisations which benefit from funding schemes operated by Coimisiún na Meán should meet minimum standards. In the allocation of assistance under the local democracy and court reporting scheme, successful applications have included companies that refuse to recognise trade unions. A common theme today will be the issue of good employment, good work and respect for employment rights, but none of these are reflected in the heads of Bill.

On the terminology used in the Bill, there is frequent to the term "independent sector", which implies that the public service broadcaster is not independent. There is nothing wrong with making programmes for commercial purposes, but the word "independent" is inappropriate and "private commercial sector" would be a more appropriate term.

A healthy, vibrant and creative public service broadcaster is essential to the health of our democracy and, in common with our sister unions, we believe the key priority of State should be the maintenance of public service broadcasting. Simply outsourcing programmes currently made by RTÉ to the private sector is merely a pretence at increasing creativity and does nothing to enhance the overall landscape. The strategic objective of developing the wider audiovisual and audio production sector is not served by transferring programmes from RTÉ to the private, commercial or for-profit sector.