Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)

The priority issues to be addressed by the legislative proposals that will form the basis of a new broadcasting Bill include the establishment of a single content regulator for commercial, community and public service broadcasters, the establishment of RTE as a company under the Companies Acts, the provision of a statutory mechanism for future adjustments to the level of the television licence fee and the development of the right of reply mechanism, allowing persons whose reputation and good name have been damaged by an assertion of incorrect facts in a television or radio programme to gain redress.

Work on developing the legislative proposals needed to address these issues is continuing. I anticipate I will be in a position to bring my proposals to Government in the coming months, with publication of the Broadcasting Bill in 2006. My intention in framing the legislative proposals will be to ensure that the broadcasting regulatory environment continues to encourage the parallel development of high quality broadcasting by Irish public service, commercial and community broadcasters.

The licensing of radio and television broadcasters in Ireland is a matter for the independent Broadcasting Commission of Ireland, BCI. Under its statutory obligations the BCI determines issues such as the type and number of licences in any region. While I am considering new legislative proposals that are intended to develop the overall licensing framework, decisions on the actual nature of the services to be licensed and who is to be awarded licences should continue to remain the remit of an independent body.

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