Ms Celene Craig:

I will respond separately with regard to TG4 and RTE. On TG4, successive consultants who have undertaken our annual reviews have strongly made the point that TG4 cannot take any further cuts in its funding. It is essential that funding is maintained at its current level, at an absolute minimum, if it is to have any hope of sustaining its current listenership. It would require additional funding to grow its listenership and to develop and respond to the challenges it faces in the digital environment. We are probably also reaching a similar point more recently with RTE. Hence the strategic focus of the five-year review on examining the funding requirements. There is funding available which will allow broadcasters to hold their current position, perhaps with some difficulty, but there is a need for them to be able to respond and evolve in the digital environment with online content and content that is made available across a range of platforms. Both current funding and capital investment are required to facilitate those types of development. Critically, the forthcoming five-year review of public funding will aim to focus on those key questions and examine exactly what is needed to help the broadcasters remain strong in terms of providing culturally relevant content for Irish audiences into the future.