Ms Tabitha Elwes:

I can take the committee through our submission in a summary form, if that is helpful. I think all members have a copy so hopefully they have had a chance to look at it. I will highlight some issues. We carried out an independent review. It is obviously a complex issue but we identified four buckets of issues or concerns we think the committee should focus on. The first is that the introduction of retransmission fees could pose significant risk to what the consumer receives, to the cost base for the consumer and potentially to public service broadcasters. The second area to think about is that the size and direction of the payments resulting from retransmission fee negotiations are highly unpredictable.

They could deliver little or no value to PSBs and it is conceivable that the value could flow the other way. The third point is that a new retransmission fee regime could be difficult, if not impossible, to implement effectively. Retransmission fees could undermine the fundamental principles of public service broadcasting in Ireland.

Does the Chairman want me to go through the presentation in more detail?