Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)

This is a debate which must be addressed in the broadcasting Bill. There needs to be anticipation, as God knows what will happen in the next six or 12 months as all the platforms come together. The question must be addressed, and it will be with the broadcasting Bill.

On the matter of An Post, the Deputy may be one step ahead of me. An Post indicated at one stage that it was not interested in continuing to collect licence fees. That was approximately 18 months ago. I raised the matter when we had a meeting with An Post. As it was not interested, I indicated we would put it to tender. I was told at that stage that An Post was interested and thinking the matter over again. More recently, with the retirement of the chief executive of An Post, it was stated by the outgoing chief executive that this was not an area in which An Post was interested. That is not the official information I have from An Post.

The Deputy may be aware that we have moved responsibility for the collection of the licence fee from the Department to RTE which clearly has a vested interest in maximising the take. From that point of view, I know the licence fee will be collected by An Post for the coming year. After that, if An Post indicates it is not interested in continuing collection, it will be open to others.

On the subject of digital terrestrial television, I am firmly set on the current course. We started on DTT in 2000, provided for it in 2001 and advertised at that time. We got no response from the commercial market. We started drawing up a trial run for the Department itself for DTT, which will begin in the autumn. The pilot scheme will be in place for a maximum of two years. We will move the platform from that.

We will be well within the 2012 target which the Commission has set for DTT and switching to digital. The Deputy is correct in that certain parts of the UK are rolling the system out over a period of three or four years. Wales is scheduled to have it around 2010. That will affect analogue television reception of BBC and HTV programmes. We should look after our own.

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