Mr. Adam Larragy:

I wish the Chair and members of the committee a good afternoon. I thank the committee for its invitation to discuss the revised general scheme of the broadcasting (amendment) Bill today. I am a principal officer in the media and broadcasting division of the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport. I am joined by my colleague, Ms Sarah Taaffe, assistant principal officer.

On 8 October last year, the Government approved the publication and drafting of the general scheme of the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill. A revised general scheme was approved by the Government on 8 April this year. The purpose of the revised general scheme is to improve transparency, accountability and value for money in our public service media providers, RTÉ and TG4, and to introduce a new statutory framework to support the provision of public service content by the wider media sector. The revised general scheme incorporates all the provisions of the initial general scheme, while containing further measures to enhance transparency and accountability in RTÉ and TG4 and relating to the European works levy. The general scheme implements recommendations of the expert advisory committee on governance and culture in RTÉ chaired by Professor Niamh Brennan, the Future of Media Commission and those provisions of the European Media Freedom Act, EMFA, that relate to public service media providers.

The revised general scheme is organised into ten Parts. I will briefly summarise the main provisions. Parts 4 and 9 contain measures to improve the legislative underpinning for the corporate governance of RTÉ and TG4. As part of the proposed reforms, the Comptroller and Auditor General will be assigned as auditor of RTÉ; the functions and duties of the boards of RTÉ and TG4 will be strengthened and clarified, including in particular the role of board committees; the provisions regarding the functions, duties, accountability, appointment and dismissal of the directors general of RTÉ and TG4 will be amended to strengthen their accountability in their role as chief executive officer and their editorial independence; and the role of the audience councils of RTÉ and TG4 will be expanded and independence statutorily protected.

Part 5 of the general scheme provides for an enhanced framework for assessing the performance and funding of RTÉ and TG4. Under this framework, Coimisiún na Meán’s assessment of the adequacy of public funding of RTÉ and TG4 will move from the current five-year cycle to a three-year cycle. As part of the three-yearly assessment, RTÉ and TG4 will no longer set out their own performance commitments. Instead, Coimisiún na Meán will ultimately identify performance commitments and outputs through the three-yearly assessment. The regulator will also assess the level of expenditure necessary for RTÉ and TG4 to meet their commitments over the period and make a funding recommendation to the Government on that basis.

The existing annual review of performance and public funding will be strengthened with an increased focus on compliance with state aid provisions and will be submitted to the Minister by Coimisiún na Meán in two parts in June and October of each year. The strengthened annual reviews are intended to apply from 2026. To align with the current cycle of five-year reviews which cover the period 2022 to 2027, the new three-yearly assessment will apply commencing with the period 2028 to 2030. As a transitional measure, in 2026 and 2027, RTÉ and TG4 will submit their performance commitments for those years to Coimisiún na Meán for review prior to their finalisation.

Part 6 of the general scheme contains the new statutory framework for funding public service content. It provides for the conversion of the existing broadcasting fund to a platform-neutral media fund administrated by Coimisiún na Meán. The regulator will be conferred with the power to make media funding schemes to support the production, archiving and distribution of public service content to be made available to the public by public service content providers. Part 6 also provides for a review of public service content provision to be undertaken every three years by Coimisiún na Meán. The review will identify the current level of public service content provision in the State and identify any gaps.

Connected to Part 6, Part 2 of the general scheme defines public service content for the purposes of media funding schemes, including the proposed role of the committee in considering new categories of content for designation.

Part 10 of the general scheme contains a range of further transparency and accountability measures. It also provides that Coimisiún na Meán may only impose a European works levy following a direction of the Minister. I thank the committee for its time and I look forward to engaging with it.