Ms Stephanie Comey:

I will speak briefly about the climate action round. We have received, I think, 41 applications which is actually excellent for a focused round. There are 41 programme makers out there who want to make programmes on climate change for a variety of formats and audiences. There is a bit of everything in it. The fund does not actually finance news and current affair programmes at the moment. That may change under the new Bill but at the moment it does not. What kinds of programmes are we talking about? There really is a wide range. It can be a lifestyle programme around fashion, travel, homes and interiors and how we furnish our homes in a more climate-friendly way. A programme might be about telling stories of local communities and how they encounter climate change, for example, through costal erosion. There is geography in there and also a lot on managing and reckoning with our natural environment, and asking what Ireland looks like in the time of climate change. We are very lucky in this country that we have many very creative and talented people who can take those topics and turn them into quite compelling viewing that appeals to a variety of audiences. The 14-year-old teenagers might find something that will resonate with them while other things will resonate with the pensioner at home and help them understand. The really important thing the fund and broadcasters can do is try to ensure they cover the wide range of audiences. There is not just one audience in Ireland but hundreds of them and programmes need to try to appeal to what that might mean to them and make it relevant to the local or regional audiences. There are ways to do that beyond news and current affairs, although that too is really important as we have spent a great deal of time discussing this morning.