Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)

Will the Department have further consultations to which Opposition parties could contribute on the broadcasting authority Bill? Does the Minister have views on comments made by the director general of RTE, Cathal Goan, at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources in which he attacked the principle that the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland might become a super-regulator, given that he maintained, perhaps correctly, that the BCI has not properly regulated the commercial sector in terms of the target set for the provision of news?

Why was there a hiatus in appointing the board? What criteria did the Minister use when reappointing members of the board? In most organisations one expects to have a board of directors — otherwise one could argue that the organisation in question effectively does not exist. Why was the process delayed?

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